


Of stories we share and words we tell

by SebastianFlight



Category: Tin Man (2007)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-09-04
Packaged: 2018-03-12 06:22:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 99,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3346778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SebastianFlight/pseuds/SebastianFlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow a slightly different path on the yellow brick road leading you through the past , present and future of an untold friendship of  the son of a Tin Man and the son of a Queen.  What happens when  little Wyatt Cain jr. meets Ambrose Gale? And what happens when he becomes friends with the Royal family of OZ? Will things be different?   And how will it affect the future? Alternative Version of Tin Man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> IMPORTANT PLEASE READ A.N FIRST FOR INFORMATION ABOUT UPDATES AND BASIC STUFF , PROLOGUE IS UNDERNEATH DON’T BE SCARED BY THE LENGTH ;)  
> A.N: Hello , hello I’m back ..kind of..don’t know if anybody really missed me ;)  
> Today I will start to publish another bigger project of mine and this time I’m confident that it will be finished. Really I’m 100% sure that this project won’t be abandoned so please stay optimistic .  
> Before you start I want you to know a few things just to avoid confusion or boredom.  
> I don’t really know how to call this story but I would say that it is an alternative version of the original series with a few ( very few) elements from the Wizard of Oz , Oz the Great and Powerful and Wicked-the Musical. At some parts I will stick to the original Tin Man series and all in all there aren’t many differences however I have tried a different approach to it so please don’t expect too much canon.  
> Cain and Glitch will be a bit altered , especially in the first chapters and in Part 2. So please don’t wonder if Cain is not the usual gruff Tin Man in the beginning ( which really will explain itself)  
> The first chapters will be friendship only , later some indications for a one-sided love will be made and I guess in the end it will turn into romance so if you’re not up for any Cain/Glitch or annoyed by my interpretation of their love then please don’t read it . For your own good I mean.  
> I will explain a few things, like the changes I made after each chapter so if you’re confused please read the notes I leave . If not and you’re annoyed by this long A.N already I won’t force you .  
> Okay now the important stuff: Updates will be made every SATURDAY and every ( and this is important) SECOND WEDNESDAY !!!!  
> I hope you will have fun and that you won’t judge me for the changes I made. I hope that all will make sense and that we will have some nice weeks .  
> If you have any additional questions please let me know in P.M’s or reviews .  
> Sorry for rambling for so long but this is important to me.  
> Oh and as addition : It’s Neal’s birthday ! Happy Birthday dearest Cain..I didn’t intend to publish it today for exactly this reason..not at all *cough*

Blood, death and dust ruled the Land of Oz in ancient times. Four nations that were meant to live in peace and harmony fought a terrible war for independence and power. In the shadows of this darkness that spread over the whole country, a witch was born and the fear, hatred and ignorance of the people made her live for all eternity.

Her name was Scarcaise and once she learned that the Great War of OZ was her elixir of youth she built up an army which she hoped would keep the war going till the end of time. Many soldiers lost their lives in these horrible annuals, many families were ripped apart. Slavery, famines, robbery and pure anarchy ruled the country.

Gillikin Country was the head of nobility, their forces were the most organized ones. Munchkin Country, an innocent piece of land full of farmers, was the weakest. Winkie Country claimed to be neutral, and the creatures of Quadling Country were far too smart to give away all their sources and power to live under the rule of Gillikin. For centuries and endless moon cycles, the people of OZ fought for what they thought was their right, though none of them noticed that they were only puppets in the hands of the witch.

One day many annuals later a sudden storm did not only cause the armies to stop their fighting for a whole week, but it also brought a shiny colorful balloon and a man called Oscar Diggs, into the world of OZ. He was able to open the eyes of the Ozians and show them that Scarcise was the source of their hatred, that she was the one who let it bloom whenever the nations were heading towards a sign of resignation and peace. So it came that with the help of Oscar Diggs and his ‘magic’, the nations of OZ were able to lock away the witch into an ancient cave. And with the building of an Emerald City the war was finally over and all of OZ was at peace again.

Oscar Diggs, being from this day on known as Oz the Great and Powerful Wizard of OZ , ruled over the Emerald City with wisdom and fairness at first, but his power made him careless, so he lost control and soon OZ was threatened by two new witches. 

Evanora of the East and Theodora of the West, were sisters and their attacks made the people live in fear again. Instead of fighting the witches now, the Wizard locked himself up in his majestic castle and waited for help that he thought would never come.

As annuals went by the magical land of OZ was lying in dust and blood again, until a second mysterious storm brought a feisty little girl from Kansas into their world. She killed the Wicked Witch of the East with her ‘magical’ house and fought against the Wicked Witch of the West with the help of her three companions, the Tin Man , the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, as well as a bucket of water.

Dorothy Gale the savior was celebrated all around OZ and her name was known to every Munchkin , every child, every animal and every citizen. The Wizard being far too old and tired of his responsibility left Oz in his balloon one shiny day and wasn’t seen for a very long time. After gaining a magical belt from the Nome King and bringing her own family to OZ , little Dorothy stayed in Oz forever.

Legend told that Oz would have a fairy ruler one day with the name Ozma, but Ozma died years ago through the hands of an old lady called Mombi, who first kept the girl captive and turned her into a boy, but later killed her after having a dream of Scarcise who told her to kill Ozma in order to be repaid with endless richness.

The Emerald City had no major ruler besides the leading monarchs of the nations, but the people feared another war and wanted to prevent it. Glinda the Good, a wise and kind sorceress, was asked for help and indeed she knew a way out of their misery. She suggested that Dorothy, being the hero of Oz and the owner of the magical belt, may be the new ruler of Oz once she would reach her 18th year of life. The rulers of the four nations, the generals , dukes and noblemen, considered this offer for a very long time, but all came to the conclusion that Glinda’s suggestion was the best decision for their country and its peace and harmony. On her 18th Birthday Dorothy Gale of Kansas became Queen of Oz, Ruler of them all.

Nick Chopper, her former companion the Tin Man, became the head of the Palace Guard and the Ozian Protection Detail of the Emerald City. Dorothy had decided to call them Tin Men and they should not only protect the Palace but the whole city and the land surrounding it.

The Cowardly Lion, long since the King of the Woods and Beasts, became the Ambassador of the Outskirts and the Territories that lay far behind the Emerald City and its citizens.

It wasn't long before the Scarecrow and Dorothy had fallen in love, and after a magical kiss was able to break a curse that had been possessing the straw man for centuries, Dorothy had decided to marry her now human Scarecrow. It was a marriage born from deep and true love and it would give them four children – two girls and two boys.

The former rulers of the four nations, the kings and lords retired soon after the birth of Dorothy’s first child and all of her friends were declared to become the Dukes and Duchess of the four nations, until her children were old enough to rule the four nations on their own.

Today on the 27th day of the first month of the annual 589 after the Great War, 58 annuals have passed since the 12 year-old girl came to Oz and since then the magic that she learned to use has become inherited in her bloodline. Unfortunately the ruler died at the age of 70 only a month after the birth of her Great Grandchildren, but her love and kindness will never be forgotten and her line will live on through the new born Princess Ozma Lavender Gale and her twin brother the Prince Ambrose Gale.

May their future be bright and may they live long and in prosper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another A.N ( sorry) : I can’t remember where I read it but some people used a name for the witch that was written differently but it was something like Scarcaise so that’s why I used it for my story. I didn’t mean to copy anyone!! If that is a problem to the persons who used that name please let me know. I’m sorry that I messed it up so much but I really can’t remember how they spelt it but since it was used so many times I thought that this might be the name , given to the witch by the fandom .


	2. Journey into a new life

Part 1 Untold Mysteries  


Today was an important day in the life of the Cain family. Around twenty people were gathering around the old farm at the south side of Old Munchkin Country, as Wyatt Sr. and his wife Elisabeth were putting the last package of clothes on the covered cart that Wyatt’s brother Nathan had lent them. Friends, neighbors, brothers and sisters had come to say goodbye to the Cain’s and barely an eye stayed dry.

Wyatt Cain sr. was a successful Tin Man in Central City, which the elders had called the Emerald City during the reign of Dorothy the Great, and his superiors had suggested that he should go to the Palace to ask for a job as a Palace Guard. Due to his good references and a job interview that couldn’t have been any better, it had only been a question of time until the Captain of the Guard had offered him the job. His wife Elisabeth was the daughter of a good earning farmer in Old Munchkin Country, who had allowed his oldest daughter to go to school and learn reading and writing for a living. She taught the children in their little village and now she would be a nanny and a teacher to the children in the Palace.

Their life had been calm and peaceful in the old village, they had started a family on their farm and they had been surrounded by good and honest people. However they had to feed and take care of their children and times were a little rough for a teacher and a Tin Man after the sudden death of Queen Dorothy, five years ago. Not that her granddaughter, Lucasta, caused the people to live in poverty, but the economy wasn’t in bloom and teachers hadn’t been needed even 10 years ago. They had three children and a fourth was on the way and even if they had to give up their normal life in harmony, they would face their new home with enthusiasm and hope.

Saying their goodbyes to their loved ones was proving to be difficult and harder than they had thought. Wyatt’s brother Nathan and his wife had brought along their five children and Elisabeth’s father had come to see his grandchildren before they would go off to the big city. The children were grumpy and the adults were sentimental and sad, which made it only worse for the two parents.

“And don’t forget to send a messenger once you have arrived at the Palace! Have you heard what I said Liz dear?” The old Mr. Lloyd was sitting on the porch of the Cain house, little Wyatt Jr. sitting on his lap with big teary eyes.

“I’ve heard you loud and clear, pa. I will send a messenger as soon as I get into the Palace and find some piece of paper and a pen. You shouldn’t worry so much, especially at your age. Central City is a five day walk away from Old Creek and we will stop and rest at each big town that we come across. Wyatt is a Tin Man and we have Nathan’s son Ty as an extra guard. We will only travel when the sun is shining so nothing will happen to us.” Elisabeth knew that this wasn’t the only thing that was troubling her father but there was no way back now so she only laid her hand on his thin shoulder, hoping that her touch would soothe his pain a bit.

“Mommy, why do we have to leave all our friends and family!!” Little Wyatt suddenly whined. He was only six annuals old yet and not as excited about their new home as his seven annuals old sister Anne and his nine annuals old brother Robin. Besides Ty, who was sixteen now, and who was going with them to start his Tin Man training , four of his other cousins were staying in Old Creek, two of them were around Wyatt’s age and his best friends. He looked so small and innocent when he was looking up at her with his watery icy blue eyes and his thumb resting behind those pink lips. It wasn’t fair to rip him apart from his known surroundings at such an early age, but her son wouldn’t stop them from going now.

“Because your ma and your pa want to be able to give you the life that you deserve my little one, they want you to go to school and learn hard so that you may become a Tin Man like your old father over there. They don’t mean any harm and you will be able to visit us all in summer and next winter," Mr. Lloyd said and the boy seemed to calm down for a moment.  
Elisabeth stood there and didn’t know what to say when she watched her son and dad sitting there in their warm embrace. She had to fight back tears herself so that she wouldn’t break down completely and declare that she wanted to stay at the place of her birth. Instead of crying though, she only looked at the picture in front of her, until her dad raised his gaze and looked her in the eyes again.

“Thank you," she mouthed and her father nodded with a faint smile on his face.

“But what about Neal and Roland? And Uncle Nathan and Aunt Pat? Or you? I don’t know if I can wait that long. Who will play with me and who will tell me awesome stories like you? I don’t think that I will like that new place Grampa!!” Now the tears were coming back and even the calming noises of Grandpa Lloyd and his soft hand on Wyatt’s straw blonde head couldn’t do anything to stop them from rolling down the boys cheek.

“You will find new friends and you will find someone who can tell you even better stories than your old grandpa. You will see five months will fly away in no time. It´s nothing more than a blink," the old man promised and now the young boy had to sniff while he tried to brush off his wet cheeks.

“In no time?” Wyatt asked innocently.

“Promise," his grandpa answered and hugged his youngest grandson.

“So and where are my sweet Anne and my feisty grandson Robin? I would like to give them a last hug as well." With that Grandpa Lloyd raised himself up and disappeared in the old Cain house where he found his two other grandchildren.  
Wyatt was left behind and alone now, since his mom was saying goodbye to his aunt and uncle.

The little Cain boy didn’t want to make new friends or play with someone who wasn’t Neal or Roland. He didn’t want to leave the farm, his tree house and all his childhood memories, no matter how small he was but he had collected memories as well and he was a member of the family so wasn’t he allowed to state his opinion too? The thing was that Wyatt’s dad had promised him to buy the little puppy from Mrs. Haggin that he and his siblings had been looking forward since the summer of the last year, but instead of a little dog under the Christmas tree his father had announced that they would move to the Palace in Central City. Cain felt cheated, he wanted a dog and his cousins and not an unexpected future in a cold huge palace. He was the son of a Tin Man and a teacher but he grew up on a farm and he felt like the profession of his uncle Nathan, who was a farmer and horse breeder, would suit him more. But he was only six annuals old and his father had told him that opinions and feelings could change and that he only wanted the best for his son and his family. There was no turning back, so it would be better if Wyatt learned to accept his destiny, whatever it had in store for him.

“I’d say that we’d better be off now or we won’t reach the next town before sundown. It’s already hard enough and it won’t get easier Liz. Wyatt, Anne, Robin!! Say goodbye to your aunt and uncle and then up with you onto the covered cart we will be on our way any minute now!” The rough and deep voice of Wyatt Sr. echoed over the farm and it surroundings which made it hard to pretend as if they hadn’t heard his call.

Even Anne and Robin were sad and less excited now and all three children came out of the house with sunken heads and dropped shoulders. For Wyatt jr. it was still the hardest to say goodbye to his cousins and even if he had promised himself to stay strong in front of Roland and Neil he couldn’t hide two tears that were rolling down his face. His Aunt Pat only gave him a light kiss on the cheek, but when she hugged him the little Cain thought that she broke every single bone in his body. His Uncle Nathan didn’t say much, he secretly admired the youngest Cain the most because he shared his passion for horses, but he gave all three children a deep hug before he turned around so that they wouldn’t see the sadness and pain that was written on his face. Nathan gave his son Ty some last advice and a hug as well before he let him accompany his younger cousins to the covered cart.

“May I lend you a hand Lady Anne," Ty teased his cousin as they had reached the cart and the young girl had trouble to reach the edge of the vehicle.

“I might live at a Palace soon but I´m far away from being a Lady you old stinker," Anne responded and stuck out her tongue at the teenager. Ty left with a smile on his face and a shake of his head. A few minutes later their father came walking towards the cart, with a low whistle he caught the attention of their horse Rupert and with a tuck at the reins the cart started to move. Their parents, the same as Ty, would be walking, while the children were too small to walk long distances at once.

“Do you think we will like it in our new home?” Wyatt asked his older sister as they were sitting in the shaking cart. The road was bumpy and Rupert seemed to find every single rock that was lying on the path that was leading towards the famous road made out of yellow bricks. The children had been silent once Old Creek had vanished from their vision and it was the first thing spoken after hours of serenity.

“It will be different but I think we will learn to like it," his sister answered and for a moment Wyatt thought that her voice broke. But her words comforted him and he knew that he would ‘survive’ this journey into a new life as long as he had his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: I hope you enjoy it so far. Well this is what I meant when I said that Cain can’t be his tough old self . That the Cain’s move into the palace is the ‘alternative’ , I was speaking of and I guess that’s it for now since nothing really confusing has happened. Thanks for reading.


	3. An odd arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day everyone !!! The next chapter will appear next Saturday , not on Wednesday yet .

Ozma Lavender Gale, not only named after the lost princess but also according to her special eye color, was waiting for this day for quite a while now. Today the new Palace Guard and his family would arrive at the Palace and Ozma had heard that he was bringing a girl with him who was two years older than her. Not many kids lived at the Palace and the few sons and daughters of the servants were all much older than her. Ozma needed a friend that wasn’t as calm and boring as her twin brother or as annoying as her younger sister Amelia. This girl was a chance to find a companion for her secret adventures and the single thought of all the fun that they could have made her twitchy.

She , her mother and her youngest sister Thea, who was resting in her mother’s arms, were standing in the huge entrance hall and waited for the new staff members who, according to their messenger, would arrive any minute. Ozma’s family was kind-hearted, down-to-earth and almost all staff members loved to work at the palace. However Ozma’s mother Lucasta preferred to leave a good impression and to at least look majestic so she didn’t approve of Ozma’s fidgeting with her dress.

“Ozma dear, would you please stop doing that, you will only ruin your lovely dress," she scolded her for the third time now. Sometimes the young princess wished that she would have met her great grandmother who claimed to have been a farmer's girl and therefore had taught her children and grandchildren that every person and every living creature in Oz was equal. Her mother respected that and she treated every social class with the same respect and dignity but she couldn’t stop herself from buying expensive dresses for herself and her daughters and she had hired a snobby teacher who tortured Ozma and her brother Ambrose with boring lessons of etiquette.

Once Ozma had stopped to misuse the hem of her dress, she started to wiggle with her feet which made her mother even more nervous and the girl had to confess herself that she needed to do something about her excitement. Trying to distract herself she stared to the white ceiling with the filigree paintings that showed the history of Oz. Just as she was looking at the picture that showed the fight of her great grandparents against the Wicked Witch of the West, the door to the palace suddenly opened and behind a servant Ozma detected a tall bulky man with short blond hair and a normal sized woman with long braided hair that looked like honey. Both had mesmerizing blue eyes and both looked tired from their long journey. The two were accompanied by three boys of three different sizes and ages but all looked like they belonged to the same family. However Ozma lost every sense for etiquette when she noticed the girl who was about her age and size and who looked exactly like her mother. The princess was about to run to the girl and bombard her with questions but her mother stopped her with an elegant move of her hand and everyone went silent.

“Welcome to the Central City Palace! My name is Lucasta Gale. I happen to be the Queen of this realm, but please call me Lucasta and not your majesty. Only in very special circumstances when the etiquette asks it of us. You´re welcome in our home and you will be treated with respect and equality like my grandma used to teach us. You must be tired, do you need to lie down? My servant Thomas will lead you to your apartment if you ask to see it now. We could talk later with a cup of tea and some pastries." One thing was for sure her mother was a protector of good manners and impressive talking, but her heart was resting at the right place.

The new staff members seemed to be confused about the kindness though and it seemed to surprise them. Ozma had heard that they were from a small village at the edge of Munchkin Country. It looked like the news from the palace barely made it to a place so far away. Ozma hoped that the girl and her family wouldn’t be full of prejudice and that she wouldn’t think that the princess was snobby or unkind.

After the first shock was over, the head of the family, the tall bulky man, introduced himself as Wyatt Cain sr. the new Palace Guard and he thanked her mother for the unexpected kindness, after that he introduced his wife Elisabeth Cain to the Royals and the nervous woman curtsied very precise and deeply.

“Your majesty, please excuse our manners, we aren’t a family in which prejudices rules the daily routine but we still didn’t expect our majesty to be so kind-hearted and so well... easy going if you excuse my language. It would be very kind if we could rest first since it was a long and hard journey but we don’t want our majesty and her family to wait all too long," the woman called Elisabeth said with a calm and soft voice. Ozma loved it right from the beginning and she wished that this woman could become one of her teachers as well.

“I honor the heritage of my grandmother and I don’t see why I shouldn’t treat my servants like equals. This place is far too big to clean it on my own and I'm the Queen of a country so I have to stick to certain rules and act like a noble and wise authority who doesn’t clean their own toilet. But I offer many people a job and a safe living like many Queens have done before me. I might be the heir of a noble and royal dynasty but I’m a human being as well and I think only a relaxed and balanced staff is a good staff.” Ozma could see that her mother had yet convinced another family that from now on would serve them with trust and passion.

“This makes you not only a good Queen but also a an employer that I would be honored to work for," Wyatt Cain sr. answered and bowed in front of the Queen.

“Would you please stop bowing now. As I said before it is important that my ambassadors and the other dukes see that my servants respect me and see me as their superior but I don’t believe in such a philosophy. I do wish to remain Queen though so we have to put on a show whenever a stranger resides at the palace, but as long as that isn’t the case, I´m Lucasta Gale and these are my daughters Ozma Lavender and Thea and there is no bowing, is that clear, Mr. Cain?” The last suspicion vanished from the faces of the adults and Mr. Cain suddenly started to smile.

“Only if you call me Wyatt," With that the man grabbed the outstretched hand of Ozma’s mother and the Queen’s face lit up as well.

“So and now before you go off to your long deserved rest I would like to know who these handsome children are that you brought with you. I bet that my little Ozma can’t wait to get acquainted with your beautiful daughter." Elisabeth blushed lightly when the Queen of Oz complimented her children (she would need some time to get used to the carefree atmosphere and casual conversation) but with a smile she pushed her children in front of her own body and introduced them as their nine annuals old Robin, seven annuals old Anne and six annuals old Wyatt Jr.

“And you are pregnant my dear aren’t you? Which moon cycle?” Lucasta asked with curiosity.

“The 4th your ma…Lucasta," Elisabeth stammered a bit surprised, she hadn’t told many people that she was pregnant and it surprised her that the Queen could sense her pregnancy. She sure would like to ask the Queen for some advice, since the birth of Wyatt had been difficult and harder than the other births.

“In this case I don’t want to suspend you any longer. Thomas would you please lead them to their apartment. My servant will collect you in 5 hours if that is okay with you. Ozma my dear would you take care of the children of the Cain’s while I will introduce them to their new jobs? You could collect them as well and introduce them to the other children.” The Queen laid a hand on her daughter's shoulder, who gave Anne an assuring smile that was returned with the same gesture.

“I would be delighted mother," the girl answered with sparkling eyes.

“You´re too kind," Elisabeth answered and smiled at the young princess as well.

“Would you please follow me now," the servant, Thomas, threw in his word and soon the Cain family left off to their new quarters.

“I have a feeling that we have just earned two marvelous new servants and three new spirits for the balance and joy in this dusty place.” Her mother reassured Ozma before she herself left off to her office.

Ozma had to talk to her twin brother before she would search for one of her best dolls. The young girl was sure that she and Anne would be best friends by the end of the month.

O.o.O.O.O.O.o.o.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O..O.o.o:O.o.O.o.o.o.O.O.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O.o

The Cain’s were blown away when the young servant Thomas opened up the doors to their new home. The apartment was gigantic and the Queen had ordered that the interior of the rooms looked casual and homey instead of posh or fancy. All their fears disappeared when they saw that they wouldn’t have to live in a cold place with no feeling of a home.

The children were flabbergasted when they saw their rooms which were big enough for little Cain to store his toys and Anne to store her beloved dolls. Robert was delighted that he wouldn’t have to share a room with his younger siblings any longer since 9 was an age where he didn’t want to sleep in a pink room with unicorns watching him from every corner.

Liz and Wyatt watched as their three kids ran through the different rooms with big sparkling eyes and a little smile on their face. As they entered their bedroom they encountered another surprise.

“Looks like we will have enough space for romantic hours at night," Wyatt Sr. whispered so that his children wouldn’t hear him. Liz turned around with a mischievous grin on her lips. She wrapped her small arms around her husband’s neck who bent down to gave her a passionate kiss.

“To a new beginning," she whispered into his ear before she left the room again to bring her children to bed, they had five hours before they would discover more parts of their new home and she wanted her children to present their best side. If they were too tired, though, they would never leave the impression that Liz wished for her children.

Wyatt watched his wife as she walked through their new home with graceful steps and softly wiggling hips. He would never stop feeling attracted to the woman that he married almost 12 years ago. She was one of a kind and she would win the hearts of the royal children in no time. Now it was about time for him to lie down a bit because he too wanted to leave a good impression so that he and his family could start a new life at this magical place that offered them so many new chances and opportunities.

Only 10 minutes later he felt the soft touch of his wife, who had laid herself next to him and who now caressed his chin with kisses. Her warm body against his own made him feel secure and her breath against his skin calmed his nerves. It was difficult to keep his eyes open and so it was no surprise that minutes later a deep sleep wrapped him into its blanket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N : Hello again in this chapter I was asking myself if the Queen was too nice to the Cain’s . I was afraid that this might be too unrealistic but my friend told me that they are in Oz and everything is a bit different in Oz so I kept it this way. If you have complaints please let me know. I just thought that Cain and Ambrose might have an easier start if the Queen allows them to have contact.


	4. Hello my name is...

Ambrose Gale was a smart kid with a free spirit and too much curiosity. Unlike his sister though, he knew how to control this curiosity of his, so most of the children at the Palace thought that he was boring and geeky. However in his eyes it was important to listen to rules, because rules gave him a feeling of organization and security. He didn’t expect though that he would soon meet a boy who would teach him how to break one or two rules now and then.

Only a few hours ago his twin sister Ozma had arrived at his door with a red face and completely out of breath. She told him about the new family that had arrived at the palace and the three kids that they had brought with them. One of them, a boy with the silly name Wyatt Cain jr., was around their age and according to his sister he sure would be able to drag Ambrose out of his little prison. Ambrose didn’t want to hear any of this, his books were much more interesting and new families arrived almost every day. The thought of a boy around their age didn’t leave his mind though. Barely anyone in the palace was around their age and if Ambrose liked to admit it or not he was sure of one thing: He needed a friend.

That’s why he was now walking through the long corridors of the palace that all looked alike, to find the boy that his sister had told him about. That was also why he was completely lost in thought and didn’t notice that said boy was walking through the same corridor than him, not paying any attention to his surroundings as well so it came that both were completely surprised when they banged into each other.

“Ouch! I´m sorry I should look where I go, I wasn’t paying attention," the little prince answered and rubbed his forehead. The boy in front of him did the same, but after the flinch that indicated his pain, was gone his features softened and he looked back at him before saying his apologies in return.

“I should pay more attention to my surroundings as well but I was too mesmerized by this book that the Princess Ozma gave me," the boy answered and pulled out a little booklet from under his bum. Ambrose eyes lit up when he saw the book, it was one of his favorites and it told the story of Oz after their great grandmother had found a way to return to it.

“Can’t say that I blame you this is one of my favorites," he said in return while he helped the other boy to stand up.

“You’re one of the new children, right? My sister told me that you and your family arrived a few hours ago," he added while the boy brushed over his trousers. When he heard that Ambrose had asked him a question, he raised his head again but only nodded in response.

It didn’t look like their friendship had a good start but Ambrose didn’t want to give up. The boy liked the same book as him and if there was one thing that Ambrose loved it was books. Maybe the boy was just shy, he was shy himself from time to time but desperate times call for desperate measures like his father used to say over and over again.

“Why didn’t you stay in the company of my sister and the other children?” Ambrose asked in true curiosity and hoped that the boy would finally give him an answer.

“They don’t like me, I'm too small and too young they said. Your sister wanted to be nice and gave me the book. She said that I could read while they play. My brother ran off with an eleven annuals old boy and my sister stayed with the princess. Maybe they’re right I'm always too small for everything." Only now Ambrose could see that the boy had been crying and that his cheeks were red and puffy. Sometimes he was a real klutz, no wonder that the boy didn’t want to talk.

“I'm sorry, I don’t know if that will help but they think that I´m too young too. They never want to play with me but I also don’t want to play with my younger sisters all the time so most of the time I´m pretty alone.” The boy didn’t look much happier indeed but after a sniff he didn’t stay silent, like Ambrose had assumed, but talked with him.

“My family said that I would make new friends in no time, looks like that was a lie. Your sister introduced me to everyone but none of them wanted to be my friend," the boy said and the tears came back quickly.

“She didn’t introduce you to me, I live at the palace as well…we could be friends." The boy looked like he and Ambrose were in the same boat and like he did need someone to talk to and to play with. The young prince only hoped that he would be the right guy for it. Another sniff and the boy smiled for the first time.

“Do you like the history of OZ?? I have many different books about it, I could show you around my room and then you can still decide if you want to be my friend or not." Ambrose now smiled at him as well and his little gesture seemed to encourage the boy for he took Ambrose outstretched hand and followed him.

O.O.O.o:O:O.o:o.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.o.o.o.o.O.O.o.o.O.o.o.o.O

The rooms of the prince were much bigger than Wyatt’s, but like his own, or the ones of his siblings, it didn’t have a snobby interior. The walls were covered with bookshelves, rather than wallpaper and the air smelled of paper and ink. The bed was standing in a separate room so that the boy had more space for a table that was filled with complicated looking doodles and a board with even more doodles on it.

With fascination Wyatt observed the toys and gadgets that were in the room, in a almost persnickety order. The highlight of the room though seemed to be the huge window, with a bench underneath that the prince seemed to use for hours of reading sessions.

“The books about the history of Oz are right here, wait I will fetch one and we can read it together if you want." The prince rushed to the bookshelf that was closest to the door while Wyatt walked towards the window in some kind of fascinated trance. The view outside stole all of Wyatt’s breath as he saw that underneath lay a huge and majestic garden with an ocean of flowers, a little sea, a fountain …. and a huge stable!!! Never would he have imagined that something so beautiful existed in the rather cold Central City.

“You have horses??” Wyatt’s joy resonated in his voice that was much more high-pitched now and he seemed to take the prince by surprise as this one arrived at the window, with his beloved book in hand.

“Yes ...we have...plenty of ‘em. Do you want to go and visit them?” He asked and for a second Wyatt thought that the prince was disappointed that they wouldn’t read the book now.

“Oh yes please ...please ...please ... I love horses, my uncle is a horse breeder." The sparkle in his eyes seemed to be contagious for the prince now looked happier again. With a smile on his face he took Wyatt’s hand and together they rushed into the garden and to the stables. When Wyatt smelled the fresh hay and the horses he felt much better and suddenly at peace again. The prince observed him with a surprising look but Wyatt only shrugged with his shoulders.

“I told you, I love horses," he exclaimed and then it was silent for a moment.

“Well if that’s so I need to introduce you to someone," the prince answered and they walked to the last box of the stable. Inside stood a little Shetland pony with beautiful black fur and a white star on its forehead.

“This is Cornelius. Mother says that I´m too small for a horse so she introduced me to Cornelius. When I'm not reading I’m here at the stables and take care of him. He is mine but I would like to share him with you until we find a furry friend for you.”

Wyatt’s eyes went wide when he looked at the pony, back at the prince and at the pony again. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing but the boy seemed to be more than serious. With his mouth wide open he stared at the prince for just a few more seconds, before he approached the box and held out a hand to stroke the fur of Cornelius.

“You would do that for me?” He couldn’t believe that his voice was so silent but he didn’t want to cry again.

“Sure we’re friends now, remember?” the prince answered and now they both had to laugh.

“I don’t even know your name, I only know that you’re the prince," Wyatt said shyly.

“And you are the first one who doesn’t treat me like a prince, I like that. My name is Ambrose Gale. You can call my Ambrose, since I haven’t found a nickname that suits my liking or have enough friends to give me one," the prince answered in return and outstretched his hand again.

“Hello my name is Wyatt Cain Jr., nice to meet you." And as their hands touched they both knew that a new friendship was born at one of the most uncommon places.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N : Actually there is not much to say about this chapter. If Cain and Ambrose act far too old for their age you honestly have to tell me because I wasn’t quite sure if they act like they are beyond 5 and 6 annuals. Besides that I hope you enjoyed this Chapter . More to come on Wednesday .


	5. Daily Routine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's posting Day , YAY!!

Five annuals later …

“Ozma Lavender Gale would you please be so kind and pay attention to my lesson, I'm sure you won’t find any mathematic rules outside in the garden," Liz scolded her for about the fourth time now but Ozma couldn’t help herself, the sun was shining brightly and a beautiful butterfly was sitting on the window sill.

“Why do I have to learn all this again?” the ten annuals old asked with a moan, she usually loved Liz Cain and her classes, but nature was calling for her and the young girl couldn’t stop the tingly feeling in her tummy from making her nervous. Her mother had explained to her that it was the light, her magic that was calling her.

“Because a princess should be able to do her own calculations," Liz answered with a sigh. Her teacher didn’t seem as if she wanted to hear something about magic and the light in her though.

“But Liz it's such beautiful weather outside!” she knew, this was it, her last chance to convince Liz that it was better for both of them, and the rest of the class, to go outside, so she put on her most successful pout and hoped for the best.

“Oh no young Lady you know all too well what will happen if we go outside now!” her teacher answered straightforwardly. 

Unfortunately Liz didn’t seem to be very gracious this morning.

“We will have fun?” Ozma therefore answered very sarcastically.

“Your mother wouldn’t approve of it," Liz answered dryly, but with a warm and understanding expression on her face. Maybe she did know what the girl needed right now, but the chance to have another conversation with the Queen about Ozma’s duties and her behavior made it impossible for the girl to convince her.

“I wish I could lie in bed like Ambrose," she mumbled under her breath as a last sign of rebellion before the discussion would be over.

“I doubt that you want to have a cold, and now back to your exercises the others are much farther than you!” Liz put an comforting hand on Ozma’s shoulder and even helped her with the first question on her paper, but the longing for a day outside never left the princess until she and the others were finally dismissed and she could go and play in the garden with Anne.

O.O.O.O.O.o.O.o.o.o..O.o.O.o.o.O.o.O.O.o.o.O.O

Wyatt was the last one to leave the class and with quick steps he made his way to the kitchen so that no one would catch him and stop his secret mission.

“Hey Emma, anything you would like to give to a starving child like me?” Wyatt faced the cook with his biggest grin, but in the kitchen the old lady was the Queen and she didn’t like charmers.

“You don’t look like a poor starving child to me, you even look a bit chubby recently.” She raised her heavy arms and folded them in front of her chest.

Now it was important that Wyatt found his most convincing excuse otherwise his whole mission would fail.

“But Emma I'm almost a man now and I still need to grow. Father says that I can become a very successful Tin Man ... or even Palace Guard, don’t you want to make sure that someone will protect your children and your grandchildren once my father will retire?” And again he put on his biggest and most innocent smile.

Emma observed him for a while, her face never changing into a smile, before she shook her head and filled a soup tureen with mug-lug and placed a piece of warm bread on the bottom plate.

“Tell him that it’s very hot and that he shouldn’t eat too fast." Then she dismissed him and Wyatt disappeared as fast as he had arrived. Without spilling one single drop of the precious soup.

He heard him coughing even before he entered the contagious room and a loud sniff followed quickly afterwards.

“I brought you something and don’t say that I will get ill as well, I don’t mind missing two or three days of class," Wyatt said before Ambrose could protest and with a dramatic bounce he placed himself on the corner of his friend’s bed.

“Mug-lug, the best medicine when you’re ill," Ambrose said with a voice that sounded like his throat and nose were both swollen by now .

“And your favorite I know," Wyatt grinned when he grabbed the spoon and started to feed him.

“I think I can still do that on my own, I´m not paralyzed, Cain," Ambrose answered using Wyatt’s last name because he thought it was better than Wyatt.

“Oh I know that you can but I wanted to see that smile of yours," Cain said as Ambrose finally showed him his row of perfectly white teeth. He dropped the spoon and let his friend eat on his own.

“I also brought you our homework of the last two days, since I can imagine that you’re dying to do something other than clear your throat and sniff your nose.” With a thumping sound he cleared his backpack and now Ambrose eyes lit up when he saw the calculations that they had to do for the next week.

“You're the best, you know that?” the brunette said with a cough.

“People tend to say that to me, yes,” Cain responded with another mischievous grin which earned him a soft cushion in his face.

“Tell me about Cornelius and the other horses, oh and tell me about the gardens it must be beautiful outside." The voice of the prince sounded sad and longing at the same time when he talked about the horses and garden and Wyatt knew exactly why his friend was so miserable.

Ambrose looked pale... well, paler than usual and his curly brown hair had lost all its sparkle. He had been ill for over four days now and, like his sister, he needed the sun and nature, for a little bit of magic was even existing in the young prince. He wished that he could help his friend. Ambrose was a very silent child, but Cain loved his wit and his never ending enthusiasm and curiosity. Ambrose had the best ideas for a game and since he had started to build some of his own inventions it never got boring with him. He even dared to break one or two rules from time to time and so they had once returned from a spectacular adventure with mud all over their clothes and faces, which had earned them a good licking, one that Cain probably would never forget, he wasn’t able to sit on his bum for three days but it had been worth it. He didn’t like to see his friend so ill.

“Cornelius has stopped limping! Finally. I was afraid that your mother would allow the stable boys to shoot him." Cain still had to shiver and shake his head when he thought of the decision of the Queen when their pony wouldn’t start to feel better.

“What a relief. I don’t know what I would have done if she did allow that! Cornelius is such a beautiful creature." This time Ambrose had to sneeze so that Cain saw no other way but to leave the bed so that he really wouldn’t get sick as well, but he handed his friend a handkerchief before he surrendered. 

“Sorry!” The brunette mumbled under his breath.

“It’s okay but I guess my mom would kill me if I get a cold as well," Cain said stiffly and thought that it was a lame excuse, since he had changed his mind quicker than he himself had expected.

“Not the strong and feisty Tin Man yet, huh?? Don’t mind me and my cold, I will survive... hopefully... I didn’t assume that you meant what you said when you stopped me from throwing you out of me room. Who wants to have a cold voluntarily?”   
Ambrose snickered lightly when he saw that his friend relaxed again.

“See you tomorrow then?” Maybe he was too afraid to stay in one room with Ambrose for more than 20 minutes but that wouldn’t stop him from coming back the next day.

“Sure, I won’t go anyway.” Ambrose answered with a weak smile.

“You better get well soon, I have planned a new adventure!” Cain yelled back as his body had already left the ‘room of sickness’. Ambrose shook his head and laughed.

“Can’t wait!” he yelled back with a croaky voice and leaned back onto his cushion. Before he went to sleep he suddenly realized that something about his friend was exactly what he needed and with a light feeling in his heart he fell into a deep and colorful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N : This one is a little bit shorter. Hope you like it nevertheless. I wanted Cain to be a little charmer somehow. Once he learnt to get along with the people he also got more confident . Again if you think they act too old for their age please let me know ;) Thanks for reading.


	6. Big expectations

5 annuals later…

Ambrose was tucking on his dress uniform for the hundredth time now, the collar was too tight so that his Adams apple was constantly brushing over the fabric , he also had the feeling that the sleeves were too short since he had grown again after the last Royal ball. All in all he was very unsatisfied about his outer appearance and it didn’t get better when Cain entered the room being perfectly dressed …of course.

“Ready for the big party?” He announced with a sing-songish voice and that damn smile on his face. Ambrose only rolled his eyes in response and harrumphed when his friend stepped closer.

“You know that I hate these things. I will only blend into the wallpaper again after all.” He couldn’t suppress as sigh although he knew that Cain wouldn’t approve of his constant moaning.

“Oh come on don’t be silly Ambrose, you LOVE dancing and we will find nice ladies for you and me to dance with." At that Ambrose blushed lightly and Cain had to pat him on the back for support.

Since they had reached puberty not only their voices had changed. Cain was almost a head taller than him now and he didn’t shave off the stubble that was decorating his face because he claimed that the girls were loving it. While Cain started to look tall and muscular though, Ambrose was pale and lanky and not a single hair wanted to grow on his face. Cain had become a real charmer and gentleman and the girls their age loved him. Ambrose was silent and clumsy when he talked to girls and more than one had rejected his offers to dance. Slowly but surely Ambrose was asking himself if he wanted to spend his evening with one of the ladies after all.

“Why did my mom allow you to join these boring royal events again? You’re not as good at encouraging me as mother hoped." This time it was Ambrose who gave Cain a mischievous grin.

“You know why," Cain answered with a deep masculine voice and wiggled with his eyebrows so that Ambrose burst out laughing.

“I see you’re a true ladies man and mother hopes that you will help me to find my future bride, but I’m only 15I shouldn’t be forced to look for girls!” The prince whined.

“And yet we’re here, well, there is no turning back now, so hurry up. Today is a special day." With another pat on Ambrose back, the young Cain boy turned around and headed for the door. Before going off to the ball and the festivities, he moved his head for one last time and now the joy on his face was purely genuine.

“Before I forget it … Happy Birthday old boy." Then he was gone.

O.O.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.O.O.o:o.O.o.o.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O:o.o:o.o.o:o:o.O.o.

The celebrations were in full swing when he finally entered the ballroom but his nerves weren’t set at ease when he saw how many people from all over the country had come to celebrate the 15th Birthday of him and his twin sister. Unlike the 16th Birthday, where the court and the magical oracle of OZ would decide which of them would become the successor of their mother, the 15th Birthday was the last celebration of their time as carefree children.

Ambrose didn’t count a room full of nobles from all four nations and a crowd of giggling girls a carefree Birthday celebration though. He was glad when he spotted Cain standing in a corner with his younger sister, Rose, and Ambrose’s younger sister, Thea.

“I tell you, you’re too small. The Queen won’t let you stay till Midnight." It looked like they were in a debate about Thea's and Rose's bedtime again.

“Try me! I think we will be allowed to stay up till midnight this time, we’re 10 now you will see!” Rose stuck out her tongue at Cain but suddenly blushed when she saw that Ambrose was approaching him. The boy didn’t know when it had started but the little girl had a crush on him and couldn't help but turn beet red whenever they shared looks.

“Hello Ambrose, wanna tell Cain that we will be allowed to see mother's speech?” His sister Thea asked him. The brunette nodded when he entered their circle to tell Cain that he shared his opinion but when he turned to his sister and Rose he shrugged with his shoulders and gave them an encouraging look.

“I will cross my fingers for you, but I can’t promise it." With that he turned around to Cain again who was sipping on a glass of sparkling wine. With 16 he was allowed to drink some alcohol at special occasions.

“Have you spotted anyone to your liking?” This usually wasn’t their normal type of conversation, but Ambrose knew that Cain wanted to meet a girl and he didn’t want to be the party killer at his own birthday party. He also wanted to be what all the older boys were for each other, he wanted to help Cain with finding a nice lady and he wanted to be a match maker.

“ I have indeed, but I found someone for both of us.” Looking to the direction where Cain was pointing Ambrose could spot a brunette beauty with long curly hair and a pale goddess with straight strawberry blonde hair that was laying on her shoulder in thick braids. Ambrose turned around to Cain again to make sure that he really meant these two and when his friend nodded with a grin he had to gulp.

“They look like they would eat guys like me for breakfast," the prince stammered ´but Cain knew no mercy and pushed him forward in the direction of the young ladies.

“I will be always at your side and I doubt that they’re hungry anymore, the buffet is much too good," With a wink Cain let go of Ambrose's shoulders and courageously walked towards the ladies only to stop with a bow and a smirk.

“Good evening ladies, mind if my friend and I share your company for the evening?” He asked with a honey sweet voice and the girls both blushed lightly.

“See it’s easy-peasy," Cain whispered to Ambrose ,who doubted that even one of them was blushing because of him instead of the blond.

The ladies whispered something unintelligible, before they faced the two guys and nodded with a giggly expression on their faces.

Without an invitation Cain laid his hands around the shoulders of the brunette who looked like she would faint any minute and instructed his friend to do the same with the blonde goddess. Ambrose gulped again when he watched the small shoulders of the girl in front of him. She looked like she was made out of porcelain and he didn’t want to hurt her. When he heard that the girl was getting impatient though, he threw off all his doubts and calculations and awkwardly wrapped one of his arms around her waist.

The girl didn’t look very satisfied but she didn’t mean to be rude and gave him an assuring smile.

“You know my friend here is a little bit shy, but I can only recommend you to dance with him because he is a fantastic dancer! And who knows maybe he will be King of Oz one day," Cain said reassuringly as he saw that the blonde was looking at Ambrose as if he was a weird curiosity. Within one second Ambrose knew that Cain didn’t need a friend to help him find a girl, but that Ambrose was glad for the help of Cain. Instead of accepting Cain’s offer, though the girls suddenly burst out laughing and looked at Ambrose and Cain with nasty smiles on their faces.

“Him? KING of OZ?? PAH!! Everyone knows that Oz only has Queens since the coronation of Dorothy the Great and with him and his sister it won’t be different. Ozma will be the new Queen of Oz and this freak here will be glad if Ozma will make him her adviser. Come Annabelle it smells too much of weirdos in this corner," the brunette said with a horrible sounding snarl and left with her hand wrapped around the wrist of her blonde friend.

Ambrose and Cain were left behind with shocked expressions on their faces and when Ambrose looked at his friend he could tell that the boy was boiling.

“Stupid, mindless, arrogant bitches. How dare them to say something like this?” He asked with anger written on his face and evident in his voice. Ambrose only shook his head sadly.

“They're right though, I heard my parents talking about it and they both agreed that the Oracle of Oz will choose my sister.” He said silently.

“Bullshit, no one can know what the old oracle will say. You would make a good and kind king.” Cain responded and Ambrose was asking himself why it was so important for Cain that he became king and if he meant what he said.

“Thank you nevertheless. I think they weren’t worth my dancing skills after all," the prince responded and now his friend had to smile again.

“Would you give me the honor of a dance then?” Cain smirked and Ambrose frowned at him, not knowing if he should be surprised or shocked.

“Wouldn’t that look a little bit too weird?” The brunette asked cautiously, but Cain didn't want to hear any of it.

“I don’t care what they say, it’s your birthday and if these ladies are too ignorant to appreciate your dancing skills I’ll have to cut in for now." It sounded like he said it with complete carelessness but Ambrose knew that his friend was worried… and that for a reason, it wasn’t very common that two guys danced with each other, especially not the heir to the throne and his best friend.

“Cain you don’t hav-," Ambrose started but was interrupted by Cain’s horn-ridged hand that covered his lips.

“I don’t want to hear any of it! I lead, you follow, is that clear now?” Although Cain sounded very commanding , Ambrose had to grin when he imagined that he and his friend would be at the center of the dance floor any minute now and he couldn’t suppress a tiny laugh when he imagined his mothers face when she would see them in action. Being still a bit unsure about their plan but willing to go forward with it he nodded.

“Understood Mr. Cain!” He saluted and within a blink of an eye he was guided to the dance floor and although the people around them started to look a bit uneasy, they both started to dance a simple waltz.

Ambrose couldn’t explain the tingly feeling in his tummy, or the heat that was boiling inside of him when their feet moved to the rhythm of the music and their bodies touched at places that no one had ever touched on Ambrose body, but he knew that he was having fun for the first time at this evening and for a moment he even caught himself thinking that his and Cain's entwined hands fit perfectly into each other. He brushed of this silly fluffy thought though and looked into Cain's icy blue eyes instead.

The tingly feeling still wasn’t gone when his mother caught their attention and demanded to know why they were dancing and it even wasn't gone when Cain let go of his hands and excused himself. Ambrose felt like he was in trance when he watched his best friend heading off for the buffet to fetch another glass of sparkling wine, until his sister suddenly approached him.  
“Have you lost your mind? You can’t just dance with Cain in front of everybody else. Mother is completely furious!” She whispered and now all of Ambrose's senses came back and he was released from his dream land.

“Why? It’s not like dancing with a guy or your best friend is a crime," Ambrose answered snippy.

“I didn’t say that, but people stare, Ambrose. It’s better if you hide your true feelings, the royals won’t approve of it. Mother will announce in her speech that she has big expectations in mind for us.” With that she was gone and left a confused Ambrose behind.

True feelings? What was his sister talking about? Was it such a crime to have fun with Cain? They used to have that since they first met and Ambrose wouldn’t stop now.

On the other hand he flinched when Cain's hand landed on his shoulder for the 10th time this evening and he felt the butterflies in his tummy again.

Was he wanting more than friendship from Cain?

For the rest of the evening Ambrose was trapped in his own mind, all his thoughts dealing with the one big question: Was he falling in love with Cain? Did he even have feelings for girls or only for boys?

Deep in thought he didn’t notice the fantastic speech of his mom, that his sister Thea and Rose where allowed to hear, which told of the future of OZ and the peace and harmony that would carry on through the reign of her eldest daughter and her son. He also didn’t notice that Cain was watching him for the rest of the evening with worry in his eyes since he couldn’t know that his friend looked so sad because he was unsure about his true feelings and not because of the words from the girls that were too stupid for their own good after all.

O.O.o.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.o.o:..O.o.O.O.o.O.o.o.O.o.o.O..O.o.o.o.o.O.O.o.o.o.o.O.:o:O.o.o.o.

It was far after midnight of the next day when Ambrose heard the door of his chamber opening with a low crack. There was only one person around the palace who was able to open the old creaky door as silent as possible and that was Cain. Ambrose wasn’t sure if he wanted to see his friend right now but he didn’t protest when he could feel the light pressure at the end of his bed.

“Brosey, rise and shine... it’s time for your morning calculations." Cain whispered lightly and Ambrose had to stop himself from kicking Cain for calling him Brosey. It was a nickname that his sister Thea had used when she had been only 5 and Cain found that it was too funny to easily forget.

“I should banish you from my room for calling me that," Ambrose said with a smirk, but the smile vanished from his face when he opened his eyes and saw the serious and stern look on Cain's face.

“We need to talk," was the short reply of his friend.

Ambrose lit a candle on his nightstand and now that the room was brighter he could see that Cain looked tired and worn out.  
“What happened?” The brunette asked with worry in his voice.

“My dad gave me this letter before he and my mom went to bed. He said that he is proud of me and that they would expect only the best from me." Before Ambrose could ask him about this puzzling statement, Cain unwrapped a piece of paper and handed it to his friend.

Dear Mr. Wyatt Cain jr.

We’re glad to inform you that the Academy of Oz has chosen you to attend this year’s class for the training of new Tin Man recruits. Due to your good reputations and a recommendation of the Queen we want to offer you a full scholarship for all three years of your education program and we would be honored to count you among the students of the new semester. Please let us know if you accept our offer within the next week, training begins next month.

Yours sincerely,  
Edmund Lonot

“Cain… that is... fantastic... you will become a great Tin Man!” Ambrose exclaimed as he had finished reading the letter in front of his eyes.

“But I don't know if I even want to become a Tin Man! Sure it is what my father does and it's an honorable job because I will protect the people of OZ and serve my country… but it's...," Cain said but this time Ambrose interrupted him.

“Not what your heart wants," he finished for him.

“Yeah it's all still very foggy, maybe in a few years I will say that it was the best decision I ever made, but right now it feels so wrong," He said and for the first time since they were little kids Cain sounded desperate and helpless, it almost made Ambrose cry.

“You know... I don’t know if I want to become King ... or Duke of one of the four nations, but I know that whatever decision I make it will be for the best, maybe not for the country, but for myself. So whatever your heart tells you...you should do what YOU want and not what other people tell you to do.” The brunette laid a comforting hand on his friend’s hand and the touch really seemed to relax Cain. After a moment of silence he smiled again and faced Ambrose with the familiar sparkle in his eyes.

“You would make an awesome advisor, you know that?” He said, and Ambrose hoped that Cain wouldn’t see the blush that was forming on his face.

“Yeah maybe I will do that... become an advisor I mean, my sister surely needs one. See you can be everything you want to be," Ambrose answered with a raspy voice... for a moment his throat felt as if he had swallowed a frog.

“Hmm... maybe if you can become an advisor and duke I could become a Tin Man after all... Maybe I could take care of the horses rather than solving crimes," Cain laughed silently before his look changed into a stern one again.

“This would mean, though, that I will have to leave the palace in a month.” The words felt like daggers were being stabbed into Ambrose heart at the thought that his best friend was going to leave, now that he was starting to ask himself if he had deeper feelings for the blond. However he gave Cain a reassuring smile, when those worried blue eyes looked at him questionably.

“You can write letters to me and I could write back and tell you all about the new rumors at the palace." He hoped that his smile looked honest and not forced, Cain seemed to buy it at least.

“Oh yes I wouldn’t know what I do without the rumors about Emma and the new butler, Francis," Cain laughed lightly.

“I would accept the offer for such a chance won’t come again. Your parents are surely proud of you and if you don’t think that it’s the right thing for you, remember my words and come back," Ambrose said when it went silent again.

“And you think that I would make a good Tin Man?” Cain asked suspiciously.

“The best," Ambrose answered with honest compassion in his voice.

“Well if the future head advisor of the Queen says so I can’t regret this offer, right?”

“You can always say no, it’s all up to you," Ambrose answered and this time he sounded sad.

“We will write and I will visit you whenever I can," Cain answered caringly.

“I don’t doubt it," the brunette said with a sad smile.

O.O.o.o.o.o.o.o..O.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.o:o.O:o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.O.O.O.o

Cain didn’t stay all too long after that. They both were tired and Cain was glad that Ambrose had helped him and that he could finally sleep in peace again. He had announced that he would accept the offer, just to see if it really wasn't what he wanted and was just to make his parents proud. Ambrose's advice, to do that what his heart told him had made him feel more confident about his future decisions and no Academy would bind him to an endless life as a cop. Only if his heart decided that it was the right thing.

Ambrose on the other hand couldn’t sleep that night. The thought that Cain would leave was too painful and the thought that his mother had arranged all this after his disastrous behavior at the ball wouldn’t want to leave his mind.  
Did his mother know about Ambrose's recent doubts? Could she feel that her son was questioning his sexuality? Did she fear her sons feelings?

With no sleep at all he spent the night with thinking and in the morning he felt worse than before.

O.O.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.O.O.O.o.O.o..O.O.O.O.o.O.o.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o

One month later Cain left for the Academy and Ambrose was asking himself if every goodbye would leave a house of shards, like Cain's departure did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Okay guys before I say anything else I want to say thanks for the kudos and for the comment! I will continue posting so please don’t give up on me. I might have abandoned stories in the past but I still have loads of ideas for this one here. Okay what I wanted to say about this chapter: Sorry to those who aren’t really into Glitch/Cain or /Ambrose /Cain ..but I really like them and I wanted to write something like this ever since I feel in love with that pairing. For a long time this will be only one-sided love but otherwise it won’t work out with the rest so sorry as well to those who read this story because it is Cain/Glitch. More next Saturday ;) Thanks for reading and for supporting my story!


	7. Changes

4 annuals later…

“The world will never forget them, for they kept us all together, be it with their kindness, honesty, loyalty or wisdom. They led us through bad times and good times and they ruled over Oz like the kings and queens had done before them. May they rest in peace now and may they never be forgotten….” The speech of the priest was followed by a minute of silence that caused a shiver to run down Cain's spine.

Thousands of people had gathered in and around the majestic church of Central City, all had come to honor their king and queen and all were now standing still with sunken heads and silent tears running down their faces. It was so silent that you only could hear a single cough here and there and Cain could swear that he had never experienced such a silence before.  
Two weeks ago a terrible terrorist attack had shocked the whole country and nobody had been able to embrace that a group of alchemists and worshipers of the evil witch Scarcaise (who has been locked away for decades) had invaded a secret council and placed a bomb in the council room that later killed everyone who had been present. The guards who had arrested them, didn’t notice that one of them had placed the device underneath a chair in the council room.

Five ambassadors from Ix and Ev, 3 soldiers, 4 generals, 5 commanders of different Tin Man divisions, 6 dukes and 3 duchesses died that day. Their innocents souls served as a sad reminder that the times in Oz had changed over the last four years and that more and more unsatisfied people started to dream of old days, of the witch and of war.

The reason for the silence and the sadness though, was the great loss of a king and a queen. Queen Lucasta II. and her husband Richard had been among all the other poor souls that day. When the bomb exploded in the council room, the people of Oz lost a generous queen and a wise king.

The only thing that mattered for Cain was the fact that his best friend and his siblings lost their parents at the age of 19, 17 and 15, which still brought the tears to his eyes. When the moment of silence was gone he raised his head again and searched for a familiar pair of red-rimmed brown eyes but he couldn’t find Ambrose in the huge crowd of guests.  
All of them had been shocked but Cain had a feeling that his parent’s death had hit Ambrose harder than his siblings. Cain excused himself as his mother wanted to lay her hands on his shoulder, her eyes were red and swollen as well but Cain needed to find his friend.

He found his sister Rose and the princess Amelia under a tree in front of the church where they tried to calm down a sobbing Thea who couldn't realize that her parents were dead and who had collapsed inside the church during the speech of the priest.  
“I think he went inside and locked himself up. I would try to search him in his lab," Rose offered Cain when he asked the girls if they had seen Ambrose somewhere. It was a hard day for all of them and the pain in Cain’s chest got worse with every step he took.

In front of Ambrose's laboratory he could sense two other slim figures, even from a long distance at the other end of the corridor- Anne and Ozma. After the Oracle of Oz had announced at the twins 16th Birthday that everyone, including Ambrose, had been right and that the spirits of the past had decided that Ozma should become the next Queen, both siblings had changed.

Ozma wore much more dignity now, she was less jumpy, she studied a lot (especially her magical powers) and all in all she reassembled much more of a Queen now, then back when she was a little child. Ambrose had become even more silent, but he finally had a chance to dedicate all his time to his calculations and inventions and now that he would only be the Duke of Gillikin and Ozma’s advisor, their mother had given him a huge laboratory for his studies and experiments. Cain had never seen Ambrose cry before, expect for that day.

Now he was standing in front of said lab and together with Anne and Ozma he was trying to reach through the thick walls of the room and through his friend’s thick skull.

“I don’t know how long he has been like this, but it feels like he hasn’t said a word since the messenger informed us of their death," Ozma sighed when her brother still refused to open the door, even after 20 minutes of pleading.  
Hot tears ran down her face and Anne had to steady her so that she wouldn’t collapse as well. Her face was pale and she looked ill, her red eyes were the only color on he face and Cain was sure that it would need some time until she was fully recovered and ready for her coronation.

While both Cain’s comforted the young princesses nobody noticed the door that opened lightly. However Wyatt had an ear for such things so the slightest creak caught his attention and he turned around. At Ambrose sight he flinched. The prince looked horrible, with red eyes like his sisters', but grayish rings underneath, his hair was uncombed so that an uncurly mess was resting on his head, he was paler than usual and his cheeks looked hollow. He hadn’t shaved in days and since he was finally able to grow a beard as well he reminded Cain of a beggar rather than a prince.

“I need some time for myself could you please go and leave me alone, I promise that I won't kill myself and I also promise that I won’t build a machine that will kill those bastards." His voice was cold and as hollow as his face and the words only seemed to fall out of his mouth. Cain shook his head when he saw his friend and he wished that he could find the right words to comfort him.

“You look horrible, how can you even think that we will leave you alone in such a state? You need us!” Ozma yelled and her sadness was replaced by unexpected anger. “I need you, your sisters need you, our parents are dead! You can’t just crawl under a rock and pout, this country needs you now!" Her hands formed to fists and with desperate strides she banged them on her brother's chest until she started to cry again.

“Ozma stop!” Anne and Cain said simultaneously but Ambrose only raised his hand in protest. Without saying a word, he softly wrapped his arms around Ozma's shoulder and bedded his face in his sister's auburn hair. Both slowly sank to the ground and shed silent tears in their comforting embrace until the first sun started to disappear behind the horizon.  
Later people would say that this moment had brought the siblings even closer together and that the tragic death of their mother would bind them forever and it was seen as a keystone for the never ending loyalty and trust between Queen Ozma I. and her advisor.

O.O.o.O.o.o.o.O.o.O.O.O.O.o.O.O.o.o.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.o.o.o

Three weeks after that Ozma Lavender Gale was crowned Queen Ozma I. of Oz and Duchess of Quadling Country, while her siblings became the duchesses and duke of the other three nations. Being her twin brother and wisest man of Oz , her brother Ambrose Gale was declared to become her head advisor and closest ambassador.

Only 2 months after the royal ceremony Queen Ozma married a guy who came to be known as Ahamo, a slipper from the Otherside who had landed in the land of Oz like the Wizard of Oz before him, with a balloon. Many people, especially the seers from Quadling saw it as a sign and a prophecy. Luckily the Queen fell in love with the stranger without paying attention to the words of the Seers, she loved his smile, his way of talking, his carefree behavior and his humor and everyone around Oz cheered when their beautiful bride said the magical words: “I do.”

8 ½ months later on a cold winter day in November, 11 months after Oz lost a king and a queen they gained another member of the royal family – Princess Azkadellia Mae Gale. A gemstone for the family and another piece in the history of Oz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N : This one is a bit sadder than the previous ones..It should be sad but I’m not really good at writing sad so maybe you consider it as weepy ..don’t know. I hope you enjoyed reading. More on Wednesday.


	8. The day of all days

1 annual later…

He had met Adora Myles at the Academy of his Tin Man training 3 annuals ago. She had been a secretary at the office of Sergeant Edmund Lonot and whenever a lock of her honey blonde hair had fallen into her face, her sweet little nose had crinkled and she had to sneeze, it had caused Cain to lose his head. The way she walked, talked or ordered a new protocol had made him feel dizzy, to make it short –Wyatt Cain jr. had had a crush on Adora Myles.

Their first date was a disaster, Cain had wanted to be a gentlemen, he had bought her flowers and in addition he had ordered a table in an expensive restaurant, but then when she had talked to hi , when their hands met between the candlelight and their dinner plates, Cain had simply screwed it up. He couldn’t remember if he had said something wrong, or if Adora wasn’t interested, but after that night almost 3 annuals ago, he had felt like the biggest klutz in Oz as Adora had waved him a silent goodbye. After that they needed some time apart, but destiny seemed to have more in mind for them, because 2 annuals later they had been forced to spend the night together in Lonot's office, due to a terrible storm.

The awkwardness from their first date seemed to have completely vanished as they kissed each other in a longing embrace, hours after they had spent an evening full of laughter, talking and coincidental touches. After that day, many of those wonderful and romantic days would follow and at a hot day in June 2 annuals after their embarrassing date, Wyatt asked Adora to marry him.

This day was his wedding day and Wyatt couldn’t be happier.

His mother couldn’t stop crying when she and his sister were fumbling at his suit, everyone wanted him to look good at his special day but Cain couldn’t deny that he felt uncomfortable.

“Ma , could you please stop. The tie won’t look any better if you tie it again!” With big hands he grabbed his mother's that were shaking from her strained nerves but mostly from her joy.

“I'm just so proud of you my little one! I didn't think that you would be the next one, after your sister married her stable boy last year. I thought that Robin might be the next. But I´m so happy for you, cupcake!” Another cry of joy left her lips and before the mascara on her face would ruin his white shirt his sister Anne jumped in to bring their mother to her place in the church.

“Rough day so far, huh?” Cain almost jumped at the sudden interruption of his brother. The men hadn’t seen each other for almost 3 annuals because his brother was back in their old home town Old Creek and working for an old engineer who was one of the very few who repaired the cars in OZ.

“I think mother will never stop being so emotional but it’s good to see her so happy," Cain answered with a satisfied grin on his face before he turned around to grab his brother and to give him a long awaited hug.

“Looks like you inherited that sensibility from her," Robin responded mockingly which earned him a knock on the head.  
“How are you doing? It's nice to see you," Cain said calmly as the first joy of seeing his brother again was gone. The oldest Cain boy hadn’t come to his sister's wedding and all in all he had become a very silent man and a loner.

“Any woman that you want to introduce to us?” Wyatt added when his brother didn’t reply to his first question. Robin seemed to be uncomfortable because it was clearly evident on his face and he turned around looking at the wall of the little room of the chapel before he could answer.

“I hope you know that I'm very sorry. I didn’t mean to disappoint you but I couldn’t come to Anne's wedding. The days are getting rough and the people from Old Creek needed me. You won’t understand but all I can say is that things are better now. I want to apologize for my bad behavior and I want to celebrate the wedding of my little brother. I'm not in anyone's company though," the last lines were spoken with a mixture of an amused but sad face.

Cain couldn’t tell if he wanted to know what his brother had done all this years in Old Creek or not, but it was his wedding day so he decided to let the past be the past and to welcome his brother with open arms. He forgave him without even hesitating for a minute and within a blink the older Cain found himself in Wyatt’s warm embrace again.

“You sure are much too sentimental today. Or is it that woman of yours?” Robin laughed, but ducked away before another fist could touch his head.

“I'm sorry! Thank you little brother." And with that he left Cain alone so that the groom could take care of his final preparations.  
When he observed himself in the mirror, he bet that he was seeing the luckiest man in Oz. His hair was combed in a stylish manner, his white shirt and black suit were neatly pressed and a red rose was decorating his lapel. Nevertheless he wasn’t as happy as his looks were telling and something very special was missing. Someone special to be exact, and Cain couldn’t help but read the letter again that was resting on the table in front of him.

My dearest and most loyal friend,  
Words cannot describe how sorry I am that I have to do this to you, but there is no other way. The Queen has sent me to our neighboring countries Ix and Ev to discuss important political manners that could change our future for good. Many years those cities have been the most reliable trading partners but the happenings of the last five years have made them suspicious.  
Ozma believes that I'm the only one who may convince them to not break any of our contracts. Alas, and this is the very upsetting and disappointing part of my message, I won’t be back in the next three months for the journey alone will take weeks. Believe me when I say that there is no excuse for this and that I understand if you're honestly mad with me now.  
As you might have guessed from my cryptic lines is that I won't make it to your wedding! I wish the current political situation was different but I have a duty to this country.

However, my duty as your best friend is it to wish you and your beautiful wife Adora, the most romantic and happiest day of your life. May all good spirits be with you.

I do hope that my sisters will keep their promise and be at your wedding in my name. I also hope that this won’t be the end of our friendship, since I wouldn’t want our friendship to end like this.

To the most luckiest man in Oz and hopefully still my best friend Wyatt Cain jr.  
With best regards and wishes,  
Ambrose Gale  
(Head Ambassador of Oz, Duke of Gilikin)

On the one hand Cain was really angry that Ambrose couldn’t come, but the way in which the letter was written made him smile. Of course he would be mad at his friend for some time, it was his special day and Ambrose should have been part of it. But Cain did know that OZ needed their neighbors and that his friend was in a tricky situation. He wouldn’t put an end to their friendship, he couldn’t. Ambrose was part of all his good memories. Nevertheless he would show his friend how hurt he really was by giving him a cold shoulder for a while.

O.O.o.O.o..O.O.O.O..O.O.o.O.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O.o.O.o.o.

His vision was blurry from spending hours of staring onto the piece of paper in front of him. His fingers were aching from holding the quill way too long and his neck was hurting. The words on the paper were the truth, none of it was a lie. Ambrose really couldn't join Cain at one of his most important days but nevertheless they felt wrong.

All he wanted for his best friend was to be happy. Yes he had repeated this intention over and over again while he had written his letter to Cain and he meant what he said, however he felt like a great liar. Of course he knew that the day would come where Cain was about to introduce a pretty young lady to them, but Ambrose had been afraid of this day for 5 years.  
His emotions and feelings were torn. It was his duty... no not his duty.... It was only natural that he wanted Cain to be happy, it was also only logical according to his brain that Cain would choose a woman as his spouse but was it o wrong that his heart was still hoping for Cain’s mind to change??

He knew that it was wrong to hope. It was wrong because he shouldn’t wish for changes that had to do with the matter of heart. Cain was a grown man, he had always felt attracted to women so why should he suddenly change his sexual orientation because Ambrose was having dreams of a life with him?

It wasn’t fair to both of them. For Ambrose it was only hurtful, to Cain it wasn’t fair because he was about to start a new stage in his life and he needed Ambrose as a friend and a supporter.

Ambrose would have to learn to live with their fate and he would have to accept that there was no chance for his foolish dreams to come true. 

Not long after finishing the letter he made a decision. He would face the woman and he would tell her that she was the luckiest woman in OZ , that she should take care of Cain and that he wished her all the happiness in the world. Maybe it was hard but THAT was his duty. He wanted to be sure that there was someone who took care of Cain and who gave him the love that Ambrose would never be able to show.

He didn’t sleep that night and with tears in his eyes he said goodbye to his one and only true love, for no matter how many ladies and men he would met in his life, they all weren’t Wyatt Cain jr.

O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.o.O.O.o.o.o.O.o.O.o.o.o.O.o.o

“You're the luckiest woman in the world do you know that?” A group of women surrounded the young bride as she was preparing herself for the ceremony. Her family and all of her friends had come to be part of Adora's great day, but now that everyone was hugging and kissing her she felt a little bit uncomfortable.

“Say how did you do it little sis? Wyatt is a darling and he looks so handsome." Her sister was supposed to do her hair and not to make her feel like she needed to crawl under a rock. She blushed lightly when Isabel mentioned her fiancé but she was happy that her family liked Cain.

“He is, but if you keep talking like this he will be a very sad man since he won’t have a woman that he can marry but a nervous-wreck with a ruined hairdo," Adora reminded her sister who had lost every track of what she was doing.

“I'm just saying that I´m happy for you, sweetie. You don’t meet a man like Wyatt Cain jr. every day and I'm glad that my sister finally found her Mr. Right." Isabel answered as the curling iron served its cause and finished Adora’s look by creating the most beautiful locks that she had ever seen.

In the end she was looking at herself in disbelief. Was this pale woman with the curly honey blonde hair, the perfect makeup and the breathtaking white wedding dress really her? Her two sisters had worked wonders and now that she was observing herself in the mirror she could understand why her mother was crying and why her father looked at her with this sentimental glance.

“May I take the bride now and bring her to the altar?” Her proud dad cut in as her siblings were straightening her veil. From a close distance she could see that her father had tears in his eyes which made her heart ache. Not from pain but she didn’t like to see him cry, she knew that it were tears of joy, but nevertheless she wished that her father wouldn’t have to cry because of her.

“Sure daddy." Adora smiled at him reassuringly, and took his offered hand before she linked her arms with his.

O.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.o.o.o.O.O.o.O.O.O.o.O.o.

Cain couldn't tell if he had ever been this nervous before. The little chapel was full of people and familiar faces and soon he and Adora would be the center of their curious glances.

More than ever he wished that Ambrose was at his side to comfort him and to tell him that everything would be all right but his friend was at Ix or Ev and so his brother Robin replaced him as best men.

From his place next to the altar Cain could see his mother and sisters but his father had buried his face behind a book of prayers so that Wyatt wouldn't see his tears. Behind his family he spotted his royal friends and he was glad that everyone had come to see his wedding. Anne had turned around to talk with Ozma Lavender who was playing with her little daughter Azkadellia. The future heir was a beautiful child with dark short curls and mesmerizing brown eyes like her uncle. Ahamo, the Prince Consort, was sitting next to his wife and when his gaze met with Cain’s he gave the man a comforting smile. Wyatt liked Ahamo he was down to earth and a man of action.

Wyatt was completely lost in thought when the members of the little choir rose from their chairs and an organ started to play the wedding march. The doors to the chapel opened and Adora in a breathtaking white gown appeared at the end of the aisle.  
Her appearance made his heart pound harder, his head was light as air and his hands felt sweaty when Adora's father gave his daughter a kiss and little soft hands were placed into his big ones.

“You …You look beautiful," Cain stammered when Adora looked up at him with those big green bluish eyes.

“Thank you, you too," she whispered back shyly and both turned their gaze to the priest when he started to talk of the special occasion of the day, the importance of love and loyalty and other very nice and poetic stuff that Wyatt wouldn’t be able to recall since he was too mesmerized by the beauty of his bride and by her voice that was as clear as a bell when she repeated her vows.

“And so I hereby declare you wife and husband. You may kiss your bride," the priest finished his part of the ceremony and after lifting Adora's veil with shaky hands, Wyatt gave his wife the long awaited wedding kiss that was accompanied by cheers, laughter and clapping of their friends and family.

“I love you, Mrs. Adora Cain.”  
“I love you, Mr. Wyatt Cain jr.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has a larger focus on Cain ..usually I write a lot for Glitch/Ambrose but with this project I also wanted to focus on other characters ;) There really isn't much to say. Hope you enjoyed it. Also I hope the way Ambrose is dealing with his feelings doesn't come off as strange ..don't why I'm afraid of that but it needed to be said. Next chapter on Saturday .


	9. The lull before the storm

5 annuals later …

Adora Cain was impressed when she entered the Royal Palace for the first time in her life. Everything was huge, beautiful and impressive and all looked so unlike Cain that she couldn’t imagine that her husband had grown up in this place.

“It's great isn’t it? But much too huge I know. Tomorrow I will have to show you around the garden." Wyatt laid an arm around her belly and glided over the silken fabric of her dress.

“I can’t believe that this is your home.” Adora murmured as they walked past the gallery of former Queens and Prince Consorts of Oz.

“You also wouldn’t believe that I'm friends with the Queen and here we are.” Cain answered with a grin on his face.

“I know you’re just perfect," his wife answered teasingly before she kissed him in front of a porcelain vase out of the time of Dorothy the Great.

“CAIN!!!” Their kiss was interrupted by a loud scream and little feet belonging to Princess Azkadellia who came running into the direction of the couple.

“Azzie, how're you doing?” Cain lifted her up and they whirled around until the little girl started laughing uncontrollably.

“Mommy said that you would come, I asked Mommy if I could stay awake for the ball but she said no.” Azkadellia pouted as Cain placed her back on the floor.

“And you know exactly why she said that, you’re too small but you can stay for one dance if you promise to be nice." A soft voice said from behind, and the couple turned around to see a young man standing at the end of the corridor.

King Ahamo was wearing his finest military garb and his shoulder length blond hair was tied back into a stiffly combed ponytail. The man surely hated to look so formal, was one of Cain’s thoughts, but the young man approached them with a warm smile on his lips. 

“Daddy!!” Azkadellia exclaimed shyly as she tried to hide behind the Tin Man’s broad back. She wasn’t even supposed to wander the corridors at this hour.

“Az, my little angel, how often did I tell you that you shouldn’t be awake at this time? What did you do to the maid let you go?” Ahamo said with a soft voice that he always used when he talked to his daughter.   
Azkadellia only shrugged her shoulders, she didn’t tell her dad that the maid Victoria was having a romantic dinner with a man of the kitchen staff. She liked her nanny, but she didn’t want to get her in trouble just because she used her absence for her little adventures.  
Ahamo observed her with a stern and angry, typical fatherly, glance but when she still refused to talk he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Az, it can’t be always like this, you have to tell me tomorrow," he said very, very patiently before he lifted her up and turned his full attention to his guests.

“Wyatt Cain, it is so good to see you! Thank you for accepting our invitation. The festivities are at full swing and Lavender can’t wait to see you both.” His grip was strong and the handshake indicated that he was a man who knew what he was doing and what he wanted in life. Cain had learned to respect the man over the years and his greeting was friendly.

“It’s good to see you too . Please meet my wife Adora Cain."  
Ahamo took the hand of the beautiful woman and kissed it lightly as it was tradition amongst nobility in OZ.   
Adora, being not used to such behavior, blushed at being kissed by the king of their realm. The courtesy that followed was deeper and stiffer than she intended but she wanted to show that her parents from a middle class merchant family had given her a good education and also taught her good manners.  
The prince consort smiled even brighter at this and ordered her to stop before she could sink to her knees.

“It is my pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cain, I only know good things about your husband and I can only expect good things and kindness from you. Your wedding was marvelous by the way. It’s a shame that we didn’t get the chance to talk properly. If you would follow me into the ballroom now, I'm sure that the others can’t wait to meet such a nice and well mannered lady.” Adora turned to her husband before she said anything but as Cain’s look encouraged her to talk, she found her voice and she suddenly knew what she had to say.

“Thank you for your kindness, it honors me to meet the King of Oz," she said with honesty. Ahamo offered them to lead them to the ballroom and they accepted. During their walk he scolded his daughter again, but only a little bit. He loved the beautiful little princess with all his heart and he promised the girl one dance although she had disobeyed his rules.

Adora was holding Wyatt’s hand tightly as they were standing in front of the massive opened ballroom doors, the new sight that meet her was even more impressive than the corridors and pathways of the Royal Palace. She couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping lightly.  
The ballroom was huge, bigger than any room she had seen before and she bet that it usually had been three or four regular rooms before a brilliant architect must have turned it into this little paradise of extravaganza, charm and beauty.

The walls were covered in a cream colored tapestry with filigree flower patterns imprinted in it, the four corners were steadied by white marble pillows and from the ceiling hung a chandelier like she had read in all her fairytale books. The floor was black and in a stark contrast to the light walls and the huge creamed colored windows. It was starting to get dark but Adora could take a look at the gardens which you could see through the glass of the windows and huge doors.

The ballroom was divided into three different areas since it served three different purposes. In one corner close to the entrance door she could spot a place with long tables that were decorated with white table clothes fine silver clattery, crystallite glasses, red napkins, sparkling candle holders and flowers. Another long collection of tables served as a keeper for tons of carefully cooked meals and foods as well as drinks that made Adora’s tummy grumble. A few people were sitting at the tables and chatting , she could see them laugh and smile and her anxiousness disappeared a bit. 

The biggest part of the ballroom and the second area was dominated by the dance floor. Almost hundreds of people were swirling and twirling to slow classical music that was coming from another corner of the ballroom. The orchestra that the royal family had hired must be one of the best of the whole real for their music mesmerized Adora and for a moment she got completely lost in the music. Aside from that she was fascinated (and a little ashamed of her own attire) when she observed the different dresses of the pretty women who were dancing. She could spot all the colors of the rainbow and impressive designs. Most dresses looked stunning and all of them were decorated with gems of all kinds –mostly diamonds or emeralds who were a symbol of OZ and a sign for wealth. Adora’s simple light blue dress didn’t have a creative cut or shape and there were no diamonds. It was the finest she had though, and Cain told her that he loved it the most. It fit his icy blue eyes so she had chosen it. Cain squeezed her hand and looked her in the eye.

“You look beautiful. Don’t let yourself feel down because of the other women, your beauty outshines their expensive dresses.” As if he had sensed her unease and discomfort he happened to find the exact right words again. She grabbed the collar of his suit and gave him a quick but passionate kiss.

“I love you Wyatt Cain, and I love you even more because you chose me and not one of these snobby women." Cain had to laugh at that and Adora smiled before she followed him deeper into the room.

The third and last area of the ballroom was the most majestic and decorated one. While the windows and doors at the sides of the ballroom were open, the back of the room was covered by heavy thick red curtains that defined the two golden chairs that were standing in front of it. The thrones of the queen and king had high backs that had mysterious looking lines engraved in them, in the middle of the back was the typical OZ signature that also decorated the signs of certain big cities in the country.  
On one throne sat the most beautiful woman Adora had ever seen. Although she already seen her for a short moment at their wedding, she was blown away by the woman's delicate pale porcelain skin, the thick braided hair and the stunning lavender eyes. She was wearing a dark green dress that had a simple cut like Adora's dress, but only because it served one purpose. The Queen was pregnant again and you could see shape of her slightly grown belly. In addition to that she was wearing a thin tiara that had the form of circles with flowers entwined on it. It looked simple and not all too heavy but her posture and her gaze made her look majestic and like a true Queen.

The Prince Consort let go of his daughter, stopped in front of the second throne, and placed himself next to his wife. He took her hand in his and both rulers faced the two newcomers with a friendly expression on their faces.The Queen lifted herself up and walked to Adora’s husband. For a moment the two looked at each other before the Queen of Oz swung her thin arms around Cain’s back and hugged him tightly.

“Wyatt Cain jr., you have visited us not often enough in the last five annuals. I’ve missed you old friend," Adora could hear her whisper as she let go of her husband. Small tears were running down her round face and she wiped them away in a noble manner.

“I apologize for my absence, dear sweet Lavender, but my job at the Mystic Man’s protection detail asks for a lot of my time and me and Adora have spent a lot of time moving from the city to a cabin close to my home town." Cain took the Queen’s arm and looked at her with an apologetic look on his face. Only for a brief second they remained in this position before the features of the Queen lit up and she faced Adora as well.

“I'm so glad that the Mystic Man hired you. I won't deny that I might have helped a bit, but you know how humble I am.” She said with a smirk and Cain had to giggle, Adora couldn't remember ever hearing him giggle.

“It is also great news to hear that you two have found an appropriate home for yourself. Central City never was the right place for you Cain, the palace and the gardens maybe, but not the busy city. Oh and it is lovely to see you again Mrs. Cain. We never got the chance to chat and I never found the time to congratulate you to your lucky pick. Cain is a man that I would wish every kind person in Oz to marry.” After saying this the Queen faced Cain for a moment and Adora had a feeling that she looked sad.

“Your wedding was marvelous and I apologize that we had to leave straight after the ceremony was over. You looked very beautiful my dove... am I allowed to call you ‘dove’?” The Queen had dropped Cain’s hand and was now holding onto Adora’s hand. Hers was warm and seem to reflect the kindness and personality of the woman.

Adora was surprised and amazed how friendly their ruler was and her fear finally vanished completely. She exchanged a smile with the Queen and touched the hand of the woman with her left hand.

“Thank you, your Majesty. You’re too kind. I also have to thank you for this invitation, I’ve never been to an event like this," she answered and turned around to look at the dancing people who now turned to faster music.

“Then you should enjoy yourself. Ask your husband for a dance, eat from the buffet and when you feel you have seen everything come back to my throne and we will talk a bit. I really would like to hear more about the woman who stole my friend's heart.” The Queen responded and looked at Cain again.

“Ask her for a dance, the orchestra is marvelous this evening." She patted Cain’s arm and left for her throne again.Before she was completely gone though, she turned around one last time. 

“Oh and Mrs. Cain? Please call me Lavender all my friends do that.” Then she was gone and Adora hoped that she wouldn’t scold her daughter Azkadellia now, who had been standing next to the Queen’s throne all the time.When she raised her head she could see that Cain was looking at her.

“She likes you," he said.

“She is lovely," Adora answered as if she was in a trance.

“I'm sure that you will get along perfectly. I'm glad that you’re feeling better! Now how about this dance our dear Lavender suggested?” At this Cain bowed in front of her and outstretched his right hand to offer it to her.This time it was Adora who had to giggle and she took his hand with a light smack.

“I'd love to dance." And off they went to the dance floor.  
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O..O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.o.o.O

Dancing belonged to the skills that her mother had wanted her to learn when she had been a little girl. No matter which social class you might belong to, dancing and music were gifts from nature which meant that they belonged to everyone and that all people should be able to learn a proper dance.

Adora was glad that she had learned how to waltz for she surely would have been ashamed of herself between all of the skilled dancers. Wyatt Jr. might not look like it but he had a secret talent for dancing as well and the young woman was delighted when her husband twirled her around the dance floor. It felt like they were hovering above the marbled floor. It’s not like she didn’t know what he was capable of since they had danced all night at their wedding, but here at the palace there was something added to Cain's dancing skills that Adora couldn’t name but was fascinated by with their every step.

The music, the champagne and the hot room made her feel dizzy and the couple was completely lost in thought when another couple approached them from behind. Cain's eyes were locked on Adora's and vice versa, the other couple were much too distracted themselves, so it was only a matter of time before they suddenly bumped into each other and found themselves on the cold floor.

“Oh dear... excuse me I always get very absorbed when I’m dancing and that must have influenced my dancing par..." The young man who belonged to the other dance couple exclaimed nervously before he saw Cain and stopped dead in his tracks.

Adora rubbed her head and left knee but she wasn’t in much pain. The lady who had danced with the man seemed to be furious though. Her face was red and when she had smoothed her now crinkled dress, she slapped her dance partner in the face and left with her head up high.   
The man didn't even seem to notice the slap, instead he kept staring at Adora's husband. His expression unreadable.

“This can’t be true!!! Cain?!?” He said in disbelief, as if he had just learned how to speak. His voice was a bit raspy but not all too deep and there was warmth lying in the pronunciation of Cain's name.  
Her husband had been rubbing his bum and hadn't paid any attention to the other couple or the mysterious staring man, but when he heard the man's voice he quickly raised his head and jumped from his spot on the floor as if a papae was at his heels.

“We have to stop meeting like this Ambrose.” Cain smirked and his eyes sparkled like Adora had never seen them before. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the man whom her husband was constantly talking about.

“So this isn’t a hallucination then, it is you!!” The brunette man said and gave Cain a very passionate, manly hug.

“Finally found someone to dance with?” Cain asked teasingly.

“Nah! Just an unavoidable fashion. Now that I'm duke and an ambassador some ladies feel forced to dance with me," Ambrose remarked with a devilish, yet sad grin.  
The two men stood there arm in arm and chatted like they hadn't met in ages, which sadly enough was the truth.

Cain had told her many stories about his childhood companion and best friend Ambrose Gale who happened to be the twin brother of the Queen and the Duke of the Northern Territories, or Gilikin as it was still called. However she had never imagined that the prince and her husband were such close friends. Her husband had been engaged in several cases concerning the Mystic Man and his protection. Ambrose, on the other hand, was said to be busy with political meetings, journeys all over the country, and his famous inventions. And although Cain spent some time at the palace, it happened that the two men hadn’t seen each other for more than 3 years. They seemed to have missed each other’s company. Shortly after their wedding, Ambrose had shown up to give them his blessing but Adora had been in town during that time, so she had never seen or meet Ambrose before.

The Queen's twin brother reassembled her in many ways, yet he looked completely different. Like his sister, he had dark thick brown hair which fell from his head in soft curls that almost touched his chin. He wore it in a neat and stylish manner, not like Cain, who had cut his hair so short that he didn’t even need to comb it. The young duke was pale but his milky skin looked like the porcelain skin of his sister and only underlined his royal status. He was almost as tall as Cain and his slim body seemed to be a little bit muscular but he looked lanky. He was wearing a dark blue dress uniform with slim shaped black trousers, and neatly polished black shoes. The biggest difference between he and his sister were his eyes and face. Everyone in OZ knew that the Queen's eyes were lavender because they were touched by magic, only those who knew Ambrose, though, knew that his eyes weren't touched by this magic and that they were brown like hot chocolate with a hue of green in them. While his sister had a soft round face, his was much thinner and asymmetric. His nose seemed to reassemble his aristocracy because it was slightly crooked and beaked. Nevertheless he was nice to look at like his sister and they seemed to share the same warm smile that could light up the whole ballroom.

All of a sudden her thoughts were interrupted by a question of Ambrose, who had finished his conversation with Cain and was now facing her.

“You must be Adora Cain, it is a honor and my deepest pleasure to meet you." He bowed in front of her, all-gentleman-like, and brought her hand to his lips like Ahamo had done earlier.  
This time she knew better than to blush like a foolish young girl, but she appreciated Ambrose gesture as much as she had appreciated the first one, maybe even a bit more than Ahamo's.

“The pleasure is all mine. I wondered what you would be like," Adora said in return but was confused when Ambrose raised one of his brows.

“Because I’m the Queen’s brother?” He asked suspiciously.

“Because you’re my husband’s best friend," the woman with the honey blonde hair returned, and suddenly the duke started to laugh, loud and passionate. It was a clear sound and she could tell that it was honest. Nevertheless she was asking herself why her words were so amusing. Was he making fun of her? Sensing that he might have offended her, Ambrose stopped abruptly and cleared his throat in a nervous manner.

“Please excuse me if I made you think that what you said was foolish. In contrary, your wit is extraordinarily delighting. You must know that not everyone on this party is very amusing, or witty... or kind. But it is true, Cain is a mystery. Hardly anyone can resist his charms but nonetheless, he is a difficult person to live with. So why not wonder about the sanity or personality of a possible ‘friend’?” Ambrose still seemed to be amused and only he, and maybe Cain, could know why it was so funny that Adora had wanted to know what kind of people Cain had grown up with.  
Adora was confused and Wyatt seemed to notice, so he tried to change the subject before Ambrose would leave the wrong impression on his wife.

“So you and the ladies, huh? How is it that they’re still resisting your charms?” The smile on Ambrose's faced vanished in an instant and Cain was asking himself if he should have chosen another topic. Maybe this one wouldn’t change the situation for good.

“I'm a busy man in addition to that I've never been in expert when it comes to flirting and I guess no book will ever teach me how to do so. However, I don’t really mind that none of the ladies shows any interest. I barely have time for myself. It wouldn’t be fair to a woman to lose her heart only to lock it away between my dusty books and piles of paper work.” Over the years his answers had changed a lot in the way they were delivered but the outcome was always the same. Ambrose couldn't tell why a lady had never come to like him but he seemed to be perfectly fine with it.

“You will find your true love one day, believe in my words for I was desperate as well until I finally found the love of my life." Cain laid a reassuring hand on Ambrose's shoulder, who by now had had enough practice to hide the pain that accompanied the words of his friend.

He had never stopped loving Cain and he wondered if he ever would. Adora was a lovely woman and he wished for her to stay by Cain’s side till the end of time. Yet it ripped him apart that Wyatt was talking of true love and of finding the love of his life, when all that Ambrose could think about was that this person, the love of his life, was standing right in front of him. He swallowed hard before he answered so that his voice would sound cheerful instead of croaky.

“Yeah, it’s easy to say that! I would say the same if I had your looks," he joked and hoped that Cain would buy his flat joke. To his surprise Cain blushed lightly, either because he was ashamed, or for an unknown reason that he himself wasn’t even sure of. 

He brushed it off with a shrug and an awkward silence arose that was interrupted by the Queen and the Prince Consort raising from their thrones while a loud fanfare played the hymn of OZ. Everyone in the ballroom turned around to await words from their rulers and Cain was secretly glad that Lavender had just the right timing again.  
“My dear ambassadors of Oz and neighboring countries, dukes,duchesses, majors, lords, ladies, leaders, authorities and closest friends. We, that is me and my husband Ahamo, have invited you today to this special ball, to celebrate the upcoming spring equinox and the sixth annual of my rule. We are happy to see you all being at ease and we hope that you enjoy the festivities. The Equinox ball has long been tradition here in Oz and it is the sign of a new beginning, when winter is replaced by spring, when the flowers start to bloom and when the birds return to us. In this case I would like to announce that this spring equinox ball is also to introduce you all to another new beginning. The beginning of a new life. Honorable people of OZ, your Queen is pregnant again.”

A loud murmur went through the rows as the Queen announced her second pregnancy. Women were whispering with each other and you could hear the deep voices of the dukes and lords who started to discuss the gender of the unborn child. However the murmur stopped abruptly as the first guest started to clap and everyone felt the urge to join in. Within seconds the great ballroom was filled with the sounds of clapping , laughing , congratulations and screams of joy. Everyone was rejoicing the happy news –among them Adora, Cain and Ambrose.

The duke of Gillikin already knew that his sister was pregnant but nevertheless he celebrated her like any other guest, raising his glass for her as she looked into his direction. The secret smile that they shared was seen by few but it was warm and hearty.  
“This is great news, but why did that they wait so long? It’s starting to get obvious anyway," Cain asked as the clapping was starting to lower.

“Wyatt!!” Adora interrupted in shock, for she felt that Cain's question was much too rude to be asked out loud.

Ambrose didn’t seem to care though, and she noticed again that there was an atmosphere between the two men that she simply couldn’t explain herself.

“They thought about it, but you know my sister she is all about tradition and preparing... finding the appropriate moment for an announcement or speech. She is just like her, you know. She's even started to look like her," the duke said happily before his voice broke and his eyes turned dark and sad.

Adora was a smart lady so she knew that he was talking about Queen Lucasta II., however she was also smart enough to know when it was best to stay silent. In one of his rare moments Cain seemed to share her opinion and so the awkward and time consuming silence came back, until Ambrose cleared his throat.

“The night is young and you really should ask your pretty wife for another dance, Cain. You said that you will stay for the night so we can talk again tomorrow at breakfast. I'm sorry but there are some ambassadors who want to hear some really boring stuff from me and I wish that I could stay with you but they start to look very unsatisfied." At this the couple turned around to a group of middle-aged men with bushy eyebrows covering dark and cold eyes which were observing Ambrose with an evil glare. They were all wearing the same garb that identified them as people of a high status and both Adora and Cain didn’t want to swap their places with the poor duke.

“It was good to see you again, my friend. I hope we can catch up on old times once those hawks have left for their homes. You should feed them now though, otherwise they might start to eat the guests," Cain remarked and he didn't care if it was a very funny or smart response, for he made Ambrose smile and that was all that mattered.

“It was nice seeing you again as well, and I promise that I will make up for my absence at breakfast. It was an honor and a pleasure to meet you, Milady." For a second time the duke brought his lips to Adora’s hand, before he bowed in front of the couple and left with a sigh and a look that indicated his discomfort.

Once again the two special guests were alone and once again they had been offered to dance.

“Another try, Milady?” This time Cain hoped that they wouldn’t bump into an old friend of his.

Adora seemed to think the same for she looked at him skeptically before she took his offered hand for the second time and followed him on the dance floor.  
“I will follow your lead to the end of the world my love.”  
O.O.o.O.o.o.o.o.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

It was dark and freezing cold outside, only the faint light of the distant moon was reflected on the little sea in the palace gardens and you could tell that it was the end of winter. No sound was heard except for the chirping of some lonely cricket and the soft wind that was blowing through the leaves.  
Adora had wrapped herself in a blanket but she still felt cold. Her gaze was fixed on the million stars above her and her mind was recalling the last hours at the ball. She and Cain had danced all night, they had eaten a fantastic meal, they had met some important people and finally the Queen had invited her to end the festivities with a nice conversation in front of a warm fireplace.  
She had learned things about Cain that the man himself would have never shared and she had heard stories that still made her laugh. Nevertheless she was standing outside now, the chilly breeze blowing over her face, making her nose turn red. Cain was fast asleep by now, but she needed to go outside. She needed to think, about his life, about hers but most importantly: about their life together. Now that she had seen how at ease Cain felt among his friends, she was afraid that she would never be able to give him what he wanted –what he needed.

“It’s a beautiful night isn’t it?” a low voice interrupted the silence and made Adora's heart jump in her chest. She hadn’t been alone at all and she was wondering how long Ambrose had been standing there watching her.  
She turned around without showing the shock on her face but she knew that Ambrose was way too smart to buy her fake smile. Maybe it was for the best if he knew the truth after all. He was her husband’s best friend and he seemed to be noble and kind. She really felt like she needed someone to talk to, so why not the Queen’s advisor?

“ Yeah, chilly... but I’ve always felt drawn to the cold. I would love to see this place when it’s lighter though," Adora said silently and maybe more to herself than to Ambrose, but the duke knew what to do and guided her to a marbled bench close to a waterfall.

“I've brought a blanket with me, you don’t want to freeze your behind, do you?” He said kindly and placed a white fluffy blanket on the bench before he sat down and asked her to do the same by tapping the place next to him.

“Thank you.”

They watched the reflections of the moon in the water and the white clouds of their warm breath playing around their mouths before Ambrose broke the silence.

“I didn’t mean to snoop, believe me that's actually something I wouldn’t do, but you looked sad when I happened to see you leave my sister’s chamber. I have no idea what's on your mind but as an advisor I’ve got some practice with reading people’s faces and interpreting their expressions. I won’t tell you what I think if you don’t want me to but I could offer you my help," he offered, his gaze never leaving the water in front of them.

“I…”

“Or we could just sit here together and watch the moon and the stars." Now he turned around and smiled at her with this thin lips and muscles that formed little dimples on his cheeks.

“Was it hard for you to let him go?” Was all that Adora said, leaving Ambrose with a surprised expression.

“Pardon? I don’t understand what..”

“Was it hard for you all to let Cain go? You're all very kind to us and the way you talk with Cain shows me that you all love him very dearly, so now I feel like I have stolen him from you and I want to know if it was hard and if you hate me for it.” She couldn’t believe that she had just said that. Was she even believing that herself? Had this thought crossed her mind in this very moment or had it been lurking in her mind the entire evening? The fact was that Cain felt more at home here in the Palace than he did back in their cabin and that made her feel lost.  
Completely unexpectedly, Ambrose grabbed her hand and it remained there in his soft and warm palms as if the mere touch of his was there to soothe her pain.

"I do respect Cain very much. We’ve been friends for over a decade now and all of my siblings feel the same way. Nevertheless, we’re all leading independent lives and we would never want Cain to do something that stops him from being happy. Cain is an honest and loyal man and he would never leave you because he want to hunt old memories. I have seen him with women before but he has never looked at a single one the way he looks at you. I've seen so much love in my live, true love, deep love and honest love. My parents, my sister and Ahamo … you and Cain, they all look the same to me, they’re all special. This isn’t a short liaison, dear. This is something forever … until death will part you," Ambrose said encouragingly and Adora could see that he was saying the truth. Something about the man was simply honest and it was hard to not trust him.  
Maybe it was the wrong decision but she felt like she had to do it so she placed her head on his shoulder. Luckily he didn’t protest and so she was enveloped by the warmth of his body heat. His answer calmed her, she was glad that her doubts had been wrong and that Cain’s best friend was sure that her husband would never leave her. That made it all much easier. Now she wouldn’t have to fear that she would be alone with the new, challenging task that was awaiting her.  
Ambrose seemed to notice the change of her emotions for he suddenly broke the silence again.

“Is it because you’re pregnant?” He whispered into the night and beside the coldness of the gardens Adora froze. How could he know that? Was it so obvious? Had she acted differently without noticing it? The man beside her could see her surprise and a low laugh escaped his mouth.

“Honey, I have three sisters and I'm claimed to be the smartest man in all of Oz, you show the typical signs of a pregnant woman, but don’t be afraid Cain doesn’t know it yet,” He answered with a wink and a funny looking smirk.

“You truly are unbelievable," Adora returned with a smile on her face once she had relaxed from the sudden shock.

“I hope that's something positive. I like you, you’re the woman I always wished Cain would find. I can imagine that this is all very scary for a young woman like you, but you seem to be strong and feisty, just like my sister. I think you will manage it perfectly and Cain," for a moment he looked sad when he mentioned her husband but maybe it was only the effect of the reflecting moon on his face,"Cain will be the happiest man in the world. He wants to be a father I can feel that, family is important to him and you will give him this family." He ended with a soft pat on her shoulder. Adora had to think about the things that Ambrose had told her before she asked him her last question for the night. She wasn’t sure if she could risk it for he had helped her in many ways and shown her that Cain was an honest and loyal husband who would be the fulfillment of her dreams and the father of their future child. However, she could feel the emotions that were coming from Ambrose and it was only fair to both of them if she asked.

“Do you love him?” She asked quietly and very cautious. This time it was Ambrose who froze and she could feel him stiffen lightly. His facial expression was hard to read but Adora wasn’t stupid, she could see that he was struggling with the answer, but if he was as honest as she thought he was, then he would tell her the truth.

“Yes.” It didn’t surprise her to hear the short response coming from his mouth but it hit her nevertheless.

“However, I want to emphasize my words from earlier; Cain is a loyal husband and he loves you. I've been in love with him for a long time now but it wouldn’t be fair to anyone if I told him how I feel. Maybe this is foolish, because it definitely would be fair to me to confess everything, but Cain isn’t … isn’t like me and I never would begrudge him his happiness. You two are meant to be together and I will never steal him away from you. I doubt that he would ever leave you because of me, but if you want me to make a promise... or if you want me to stay away from him for a while that’s okay with me. But please don’t break his heart. I want him to be happy and it would break my heart if he wasn’t with the one he loves. Maybe I sound stupid, but love is about the heart and not the brain.”   
Now those big brown eyes were starring at her pleadingly and captured so many desperate emotions that Adora thought she might faint from just looking into those eyes.

She was surprised about her own emotions but she felt pity for him. The only one you ever loved being married to a stranger… the true feelings you have forced to be locked up like a prisoner. Your whole life a lie. She wouldn’t want to lead a life like this and Ambrose surely wished to lead another one as well. It hurt her to know that there was another person who had the same feelings for her husband, but she trusted Ambrose. Of course it made her feel uncomfortable but every man or woman who was in love with Cain would make her feel this way, especially if one was as handsome as Ambrose. However she knew that Cain needed his friendship to Ambrose and she herself started to like the young duke as well. It wouldn’t be easy to both of them-him being faced with their happiness and she being reminded of an unfulfilled love whenever she would see him. Maybe they would learn to live with it, but maybe one of them had to give up one day.

“I like you Ambrose, and it pleases me to hear that you won’t stand in my way. Nevertheless, should you ever try to rip me and Cain apart I will do everything to turn your life into hell," she said with a devilishly sweet voice. Ambrose understood and nodded before he took her hand and kissed it.

“It is sealed, may our friendship bloom even if it's just for the sake to make Cain happy," he said and his warm breath tickled the skin of her hand.

“Oh I won’t say that, this threat was necessary because I want to make clear that I'm not a foolish girl who trusts everyone that give her a promise, but I never said that we can’t be friends. No matter how weird this whole situation might be I would be thrilled to get to know you, Ambrose and I hope that you feel the same way.”  
Yes, it was awkward to befriend the guy who had confessed his secret love to her husband, but she hoped that she could find someone for the duke as well, to feel a little bit more at ease but also to wipe away this sadness that seemed to engulf his heart.

“You’re too kind. Yes, I would love to be your friend as well," Ambrose said, more joyful now.

“To an awkward friendship then." Adora smiled and they both hugged in the darkness of the garden and the reflection of the moon light.

In the morning Adora would tell Cain that she was pregnant and that she would never leave his side like she had promised at the day of their wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: First off I have to add here that I'm totally aware that I exaggerated a bit when I explained Ambrose's physical appearance XD Can't help it that man is simply beautiful XD Another thing that I’m a bit afraid of is how people are going to react to the conversation between Adora and Ambrose. I have no idea if that is a realistic conversation …or if any woman would be just okay with it but I mean she is not like : Hooray another person is into my man ..but I wanted them to respect each other and get along because they are both important to Cain but I also didn’t want Adora to come off as a naïve girl who doesn’t feel threatened by Ambrose at all . I’m sorry if I screwed that. More next Saturday ;)


	10. A storm is coming

6 annuals later …

The Mystic Man was a busy man these days. Now more groups of people were listening to his lectures about Oz and the universe. Citizens from all over the country and beyond came to his theatre in Central City to watch his shows and listen to his wisdom. Cain was once more glad that he had decided to become a Tin Man and work for the Mystic Man’s protection detail, but he was suspicious about a group of women and men who kept asking questions about the meaning of life and the old days of the great war and the witches.

Topics like that made him feel sick to the stomach because they reminded him too much of the terrorist attack that had scared the land only 12 years ago. However the Mystic Man assured him that all questions deserved to be answered for those who were willing to seek the truth. Sometimes the Tin Man wasn’t sure to which amount he should trust the old man and how much of his wisdom was to be believed.

He earned good money and he needed it because little Jeb was about to go to school in summer. Jeb- his little boy, almost a school kid already. He remembered when Adora had informed him of her pregnancy right after they had left the spring equinox ball and only one day after the Queen had announced her pregnancy with princess D.G. He had been so happy and proud and couldn’t have waited to come home to write a letter to Ambrose and express his joy. The advisor had been more than happy and right after the birth of his healthy son Cain had made him the guardian of little Jeb Cain. Now his boy was about to leave the nest for the first time and it scared Cain to see his golden haired kid, with the big bright blue eyes of his father, being confronted with the dangers of the world outside their cabin. More than ever he hoped that the rumors about the return of the witch weren’t true and more than once he hoped that he could finally talk some sense into the Mystic Man and his trust in fanatics.

It was a calm day in the middle of May and it was much too hot for the season. Some of Cain’s colleagues had left earlier to look after their crops, because for some of them being a Tin Man was only a half-time job. So it happened that Cain was alone at the office with only Rick Zero as his company. Rick was a loner, always trying to impress their boss and to do a good job. People said that he was strange and that bad things might happen if Zero ever got into a bad mood, but Cain liked the silent man. At least he preferred spending a hot drowsy day with Rick Zero than with some of his older colleagues.

Days like this were hard for the young men. The Mystic Man wanted them to do their paperwork, for it wasn’t only their job to protect the elderly man, but also to write protocols and inform the Central Station of any little trouble that might have occurred in the past. Cain wished he was outside at the cabin with Adora and his son. In weather like this Jeb loved to play with his dad at the shore of the little lake in front of their house and Cain could hear Adora’s crystal clear voice laughing over the actions of ‘her boys’. Instead he was sitting in a dark office that seemed to get hotter every minute, and sweating on a tiring protocol underneath his big hands.

“You look like you need some fresh air and some sunshine, mate." Since he barely used to talk or address anyone except the Mystic Man himself, it was a surprise for Cain to suddenly hear Rick speaking to him from the doorway. The man with the tame blonde hair and the stern look, that was now much softer than usual, had left to buy them a coffee but he had been gone for quite a while so Cain hadn’t been sure if Rick would ever show up again or not.

“And you look like that fresh air and sunshine worked wonders on you. I can’t remember when I’ve ever seen you smile.” And gone was the happy expression on the other man’s face, which irritated Cain a bit. He didn’t mean to tease Zero, but he didn’t know what he could do to show the other that he was trying to be friends with him.

“I met the boss, he wants to speak with you," Zero answered matter of factly as he placed a hot coffee cup on Cain’s desk, avoiding any eye contact and signaling the other that their conversation, as short as it had been, was over now.

“Rick, I didn’t mean to offend you. Where is he?” Wyatt raised from his chair carefully and wanted to walk closer to Zero’s desk but was stopped by the other's raised hand.

“And I'm not your friend so what do you care? It's all right, I’m not offended. He is waiting in his dressing room. The show won’t start before six, but you know him.” With that he focused on a pile of papers on his desk and made clear that he wouldn’t give Cain any other information.

Maybe the people were right and Rick Zero was a strange guy. However Cain knew that he didn’t have time to think about his colleague's behavior. The Mystic Man barely asked anyone into his dressing room so it must be important. If he was lucky, Cain would finally get his chance to talk about the fanatics which were now coming to the Mystic Man’s shows every night.

O.O.o.o.O.O.o.o.  
He knocked three times but entered without waiting for permission, he didn’t like the mind games of the old man who thought it was fun to confuse his staff by asking for a secret password before they were allowed to enter.

“Why do you always have to steal the fun, Cain?” said the small man sitting in front of a huge mirror, he was trying to tie his bowtie and he didn’t face Cain directly, but the blond could tell by the expression on his face that he was in one of his moods. That wasn’t a good sign, either it meant that the Mystic Man was in a cheery mood or it meant the complete opposite and he had had a bad dream again which often enough meant: Another prophecy, horrible things were about to happen, Cain could feel it.

“Sir, you know that I'm a simple Tin Man, with a simple mind. I'm not worth your little games and Rick left me with the impression that you want to see me because of something important, so I didn’t mean to waste time," Cain defended himself and made the Mystic Man laugh before he turned around with a weak smile still written on his face.

“ I like you, Cain. You’re not like those bootlickers, you’re honest," the old man responded.

“Thank you, sir.” He felt uncomfortable about the compliment but he accepted it. It couldn’t harm that your boss liked you.

“Since you've been honest with me, Cain, can I be honest with you now?” The smile vanished from the old man's face and changed into something unreadable, something between anger and fear. It scared the Tin Man because he had never seen him like this.

“Sir?”

“ Pack your things and go home, don’t come back for a while. Go and see your family, hug your son, kiss your wife and tell them that you love them. Tonight will be the last show. I will take a break after that.” The Mystic Man’s voice was calm but the words that left his lips confused Cain.

“Is there a problem with my work, have I done something wrong? Did I displease you sir?” He mumbled, not being sure if he had misunderstood his boss or not. But the serious look on his face didn’t change, and now he even grabbed Cain’s shoulder pressing it lightly.

“Do you love your family? Then don’t leave them alone. They need you. I'm old, I can look after myself. After tonight’s show I don’t want to see you here for a few weeks.” He remained cryptic which Cain didn’t like in the least.

“Is it because of the people who ask about the witches? I tried to tell you that they are no good, did they threaten you? Mystic Man, I belong to your protection detail. If you, or this place is in danger, I need to know.” He knew that it would come to this eventually, if only the old man had listened to him earlier , but he only shook his head which surprised Cain even more.

“It’s not them, Cain. You have to leave, I don’t want you to question my actions any longer. A storm is coming and I’m only trying to protect you from it, so please stop being stubborn and tell Zero that he should leave as well. The others already know about it so you two are the only ones who need to listen to my orders.” The Mystic Man’s voice was softer again and now his face looked sad.

A storm is coming, what did he mean by that? Did he really have one of his bad dreams again? Had a prophecy told him to send Cain away? Whatever it was, the Tin Man didn’t like to be ordered around like this and it made him angry. However he respected the old man and he feared the consequences of his prophecies. He didn’t want anyone... or anything to hurt Adora and Jeb so he nodded, in frustration but acceptance.The Mystic Man’s features lightened up and he smiled again.

“One day I will tell you and you might understand, but now you should go. I will see you at the show. This one will be spectacular, believe me, old friend." With a flick of his hand he dismissed Cain before he could even protest or ask any of the questions that were haunting his mind.

He left more angry and confused than he had been before and afterwards he informed Rick that they had to take a holiday for a couple of weeks, he decided it was best to go out into the sunshine like Zero had advised him.  
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.O.o.O  
“And now may I present: The great and powerful … MYSTIC MAN!” The confroncier with the heavy make-up, silly accent and tight suit screamed into the cheering crowd before he bowed in front of them and left the stage to the right.

Green smoke floated over the stage, the lights went out and illusions of lightning and thunder made the crowd stop clapping. Cain knew that the Mystic Man loved this part, when the new unknowing guest didn’t know what was going to happen and when the regulars were waiting for their show to start.

The silence was interrupted by the sound of a sudden explosion and some women started to scream. A huge greenish head, well only a projection of it, appeared on the stage. It was bigger than a human and it hovered over the stage like a ghost. It was the face of the Mystic Man, who now addressed the crowd and introduced himself as the great and powerful Mystic Man. After another explosion, the old man appeared in one of his colorful stage costumes (all of them weren’t much to Cain’s taste) and when he had informed the guests that he was going to answer all their questions, both women and men started to calm down and act more relaxed again.

It was a show like any other and Cain was asking himself why the Mystic Man had spoken of bad things. The bar and viewing area were much more crowded than usual, but apart from that he couldn’t sense any bad auras.

Until the Mystic Man lowered his voice and started to stare into the crowd like he had suddenly seen a ghost, his face got pale and his eyes glassy. The visitors went silent in an instant because they thought it was part of the show but Cain knew better. This wasn’t a trick, this wasn’t some new show act. This was something evil. The lights in the room started flickering and the ground was shaking lightly. Now Cain could see how some of the guests looked uneasy and a bit frightened. Could they sense the sudden change of the atmosphere like Cain?

He felt foolish for not having sensed it before but now it was more than obvious. Something wicked was hanging in the air, making the whole room feel hotter and harder to breathe in. Without losing another second, Cain started to run to the stage in order to get to the Mystic Man and inform the people that it was best to leave and that the show was over. However he was stopped by a heavy blow, like an invisible force, and he crashed into the opposite wall of the room.

As the people saw that a man was being attacked by something they couldn’t see they started panicking , some ran out of the theatre, a few desperate hid under the tables, but most could only scream.

The Mystic Man who had been silent all the time suddenly started to speak again, but his voice was scary, deep, and sounded otherworldly.

“People of Oz beware of the storm that is coming. No one is going to be spared. No one will be able to hide or escape. Darkness will come over this land and you will all pay a terrible price for it," The bass like voice sounded like a predator and echoed through every corner of the building.  
Cain was lifting himself up from where he had crashed against the wall and the voice was hammering in his head, making his heart feel weak and like the darkness was trying to crawl into his body.  
Some of the women were crying now, the men trying to comfort them by patting their backs lightly. Suddenly the shaking of the ground stopped, the air got cooler, the lights went on again and the eyes of the Mystic Man rolled back into his head before he fell from his flying carpet and collapsed on the stage.

This was Cain’s chance to start a second try and evacuate the building. With determined steps he made his way to the stage, where he observed the Mystic Man with concern, before he turned around and faced the remaining, devastated crowd.

“ We have just witnessed something terrible, we can’t be sure what just happened and I understand that it was frightening. Nevertheless, it is very important now that we stop panicking. I advise you all to go home calm and slowly. I will promise that I will report tonight’s occurrences to the Queen and she will surely know what to do. There is nothing we can do now, though, so please go home and try to get some sleep.” He had his hands raised and made smooth gestures of support with them, in the hope that this would make them listen to him. Luckily it seemed to work for the first people came out of their hiding and left the building – still traumatized but without causing another ruckus. 

“Thank you," Cain whispered and when the last person had left the building he brought all his attention to the unconscious Mystic Man. The elderly man on the floor knew something, he had seen this whole event coming and he still had wanted to do the show. Was it all for the purpose to warn the people? What were his true intentions? Right now it was important to get the Mystic Man to a place where he would be safe and more comfortable. Cain felt like he had to ignore the man’s orders and stay at his side until he would wake up again.

O.O.o.O.O.o.o.O.O.o.O.O.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o  
Something old and evil was coming for them, something more powerful than he wanted to imagine was lurking in the darkness and he had only seen glimpses of it during his possession. Something ... someone was going to destroy the life in OZ as it was used to be and the mere thought of it made him shiver in fear.

When he opened his tired eyes he could see that Cain had disobeyed him, for the young man with the striking icy blue eyes was hovering over him, his forehead plastered with wrinkles. He had questions, he didn’t blame him, but he didn’t know if he was allowed to give him answers.  
Before he could say something in defense , before he could tell Cain that some things needed to remain a secret, they heard a knock on the door and when neither of them answered, the dressing room was flooded by palace guards who were followed by the Queen of Oz and her brother Ambrose.  
Cain jumped up from his place and so did the Mystic Man. They both wanted to bow but the Queen stopped them by raising her hand in defense.

“You two know that you don’t need to bow in front of me," she said quietly. Her voice sounded drenched and usually it would be loud and much clearer.

“What can a simple man like me, do for her majesties at this late hour?” The Mystic Man straightened himself up and now observed both the Queen and the Duke. He knew that they weren’t foolish, they had come to him because they knew he might have some answers, but he was still hoping that his visions had fooled him and that they didn’t look so pale because something evil and powerful was at their heels.

The Queen didn’t answer right away. Ambrose had to steady her and for the first time Cain noticed that the siblings were shivering like a leaf and that something had happened to Ozma’s hair, it was much lighter now and stood out in a stark contrast to Ambrose's dark curls. Now there was no more doubt, something was going on. Someone had better start to talk and reveal these mysteries to him or he would get very angry.

“Azkadellia killed D.G. … after we came home from Finaqua. My little girl ... she ... she killed my precious angel.” The Queen looked like she was close to fainting, but Ambrose hold her hands tight and rubbed her back with his free hand.

“I brought her back to life with my magic and hid her at a place where Azkadellia won’t find her … for now. She is still weak because the dark magic that my daughter used to kill her sister is powerful. I fear that something wicked is going to happen to this country and that D.G. might be the key to save us all in the future. I know that you’re a powerful man, old friend, and I ask you to help me with my precious child. Bring her to a place where Azkadellia won’t find her," She ended with a sob and now even Ambrose couldn’t stop her from sinking on one knee.  
She covered her mouth with her gloved hands as if she was trying to hold back a silent scream. Her brother’s eyes were red-rimmed and his face looked harsh. He himself was desperately trying to hold back the tears but he gave in eventually.

The pain that hit Cain's heart was hard to describe. This was the second time that he saw his two best friends so lost, so hurt, so desperate and now it was more painful than before. He was a father now and even though he had met the little princess only a few times she had conquered his heart in an instant. Little Azkadellia had always asked to accompany him on adventures and her curious spirit had reminded Cain so much of Ambrose. Now the one had been killed by the other. And although the little princess was still alive, it frightened him that Azkadellia was capable of something so evil. If something like this was even possible, what would await Oz? He feared for the lives of his wife and son and suddenly he wished that he had listened to the Mystic Man’s orders.

At the raise of the Mystic Man’s voice, Cain was distracted from his deep thoughts and he focused on the words that his boss was saying.

“I was afraid that this would happen. I saw a storm coming in one of my dreams and a storm is what we need now. Your majesty, I’m deeply sorry for the loss of your oldest daughter to the darkness but there is still hope. I have studied the universe for centuries and I might know a place where your little D.G. could be safe.” The sadness of the Mystic Man and his own fear were crystal clear to Cain, but what did he mean with ‘loss to the darkness’? Was it only metaphorical because she had just killed her sister, or was there more again?

“Can you tell us where this place is and how we can get there?” Ambrose spoke up for the first time since their arrival. It sent a shiver down Cain’s spine to hear how much suppressed anger there was in this voice.

“Oz is only one land in the wide and complex universe. It’s the Outer Zone of more than 20 different zones that all evolve around each other. We can’t enter each of those zones, but a few collide with the Outer Zone under special circumstances.” The Mystic Man started, but was shortly interrupted by Ambrose.

“Outer Zone….Oz?? That's what it all means?” He asked in confusion.

“Yes, makes it all less magical doesn’t it?? We could refer to it as the O.Z. from now on if you’d like but that should be nothing more than a formality now. There is a land simply called Earth by their inhabitants and Otherside by us but it’s so much more than just a planet, it’s part of hundreds of worlds. However, this Earth is where your Ahamo is from... and it’s the place of my birth as well.” The old man made a pause to let the information sink in before he continued.

“Your husband and I we both came here by a storm and this is why the storm of my dreams is so important. Now the vision makes sense. It wants us to send your daughter to the Otherside. You know that I came here as a humbug and that my true nature and the reason for the inhuman extension of my life needs to stay a secret, however I know the spell to cast a storm and the best place for it. Keep your daughter at this secret place for another seven days, make arrangements... your daughter surely needs someone to take care of her. Say your goodbyes but don’t make it too hard." Now he walked closer to the Queen and cupped her face in his wrinkled hand.

The Queen looked up at him and some of her fear disappeared. She still looked like a mother who knew that she was about to leave her youngest child to a strange world, but she looked also like a mother who was relieved that her daughter would be safe. She nodded at the words of the Mystic Man and with the help of her brother she stood up.

“When is it best for her to return?” She asked but the Mystic Man hesitated. He turned around to Cain and gave him a weak smile. The Tin Man understood before his boss could even say anything.

“You want me to leave, sir?” He asked without hiding the hurt expression on his face.

“Cain’s a friend!” Ambrose protested but he was stopped by the Mystic Man.

“ I trust you more than anyone, Cain, but this is something between the Queen and me. You should leave too, your highness. It is for the best when as few people as possible know about these plans, it might save our land one day.” He faced the Duke with kindness but his voice was underlined with authority.

Both men stood still for a moment before they gave in and left the room. If it was for the sake of Oz it might be less hard to ignore their pride for a second.  
O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.o.O.O.o.o.O.o.oo.O.O.o.o.o  
“You okay Ambrose?” Cain asked when they were standing in the cold corridor outside the Mystic Man’s dressing room.

“Besides the fact that one of my nieces killed the other, that my sister brought her back to life, lost most of her magic and that our country might face a new era?” Ambrose returned cynically, and Cain was shocked by his harsh response. He was used to a lot but not to such behavior from his close friend.Ambrose seemed to have noticed his mistake as well for he suddenly clapped a hand in front of his mouth and started crying again.

“I’m sorry Cain!! You... you shouldn’t be the target of my anger. So much happened in the last few days. I ... I’m tired ... maybe I should go...." He tried to get past, Cain but was stopped by the taller man who grabbed his right arm.

“NO! If there is really something evil waiting for the Royal family in the darkness then it’s much too dangerous for you to leave without a guard," Cain said softly and before he could say more, Ambrose collapsed against his shoulder.

“I'm scared Cain. I’m not sure if I can handle it," he sobbed and Cain knew how he felt. What if Azkadellia’s power grew with her age? What if the attack against her sister wasn’t the beginning?  
What would the Queen do to stop her own daughter? What would happen to his own family?  
Cain had been forced to encounter too many questions in much too short a time and it scared him too. He could imagine how a man who was the brother and the advisor of the Queen, the uncle of Azkadellia and the Duke of the North, must feel right now. He was there to comfort and he would hold Ambrose in his arms for the rest of the night.

“It will all be good. I promise! Believe me, Ambrose. It will all be good," he whispered in a steady rhythm with the hope that this would stop them from thinking about the Storm that was coming for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Any thoughts? Should I change something??? Did you like it?? Thank you soo much for reading ;)


	11. Tidbits of crumbling lives

Their village was burning, parts of his old home were falling apart from the fire that was eating its way through the wooden planks. Female members of his tribe were crying and roaring when they couldn’t save their children from the flames, the males had to pull them away to save them from the crashing buildings but the pain in their eyes convinced Raw that they were crying for the loss of the children as well.

Longcoats had attacked their village after sunrise and set it on fire when the leader of their tribe, Lilo, had refused to follow them. They were collecting Seers for the Sorceress, but Lilo was much too proud and strong to fear the wrath of the witch. He had underestimated the cruelness of the witch’s servants though, and so he was paying a high price for his refusal.  
The attackers themselves had left hours ago, Lilo being held as their captive. The fires, however, were resistant and still burning. It was a village hidden in the woods, the best place for a fire to grow and fulfill its deadly task.

Raw was one of the few who tried to save what was left of their village, but when the last members left and carried away the unconscious women who had collapsed from their pain, he had to admit that there was no hope for their home, the place of his birth. The safe haven of all those lovely memories.

All this emotions around Raw made him feel dizzy and he knew that he had to leave this place and never return.  
They were without a home now. A split tribe, nomads on the run. But what gnawed on Raw the most was that they now were the focus of the Sorceress, the one tribe that refused to follow her orders.

All that flooded his mind and whole body was fear.  
O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O

All his work, everything he had dedicated his last annuals to, all this was burning in front of his eyes at this very moment.

She was coming for him, there was no way out, but he would not let allow the witch to get his plans. A long time ago they had discovered that their beloved Azkadellia was possessed by the ancient witch of the Great War. In a short time she had transformed the little girl into her weapon against the land that had locked her away ages ago and her thirst for blood was unstoppable.

 

They had been fighting for seven annuals but Azkadellia grew stronger every day. Seven years was a long time and it showed it marks on the land and among the people. Friends had been lost, families were ripped apart, whole villages burned down. He, his sisters and the armies of the O.Z. did their best to stop the Sorceress and her Longcoats but their forces were getting weaker every day.  
More than once Ambrose had caught his niece searching the laboratories and offices of the advisors, and after a frightening conversation that had asked for all his acting skills, he knew that the witch was searching for the blueprints for his sunseeder.

A machine he had been working on for years and something he called his biggest success. The flames that grasped the blackened paper had no mercy, they didn’t care if this plans could have been the solutions for all the farmers in Munchkinland. They burnt it down and destroyed Ambrose’s work without leaving a single paper unharmed. All that was left was grey dust.  
He was sad about the loss but when he could be sure that he had succeeded he smiled. It vanished when he heard heavy heels on the marbled floor outside and he knew that they were coming for him.

It wasn’t too late to inform his sister that General Lonot had defected and that they weren’t only literally standing in the ashes of their defense. He still had enough time for one last coup and what would happen after that was up to Azkadellia.  
After he had seen the fire destroying his work, all his wisdom, he knew that all their hope was gone.  
And so his mind was blank when he jumped outside the window of his office on the ground floor.

O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.O

He knew that Rick Zero had waited for this moment forever and he cursed himself for trusting that man much longer than anyone should have. Longcoats surrounded their cabin and Cain knew that their leader was enjoying his power, even though he couldn’t see his stupid face through the massive closed door that separated him and his family from the dangers outside.

“Wyatt, old friend. Why are you hiding from me? Is there a reason for all this? I’m a friend who wants to pay you a visit and talk with you about this lovely little resistance you have started against the witch... nothing more." The bitter-sweet sound of his voice made Cain’s heart race in his chest. The anger against that man almost made him lose his head but when he turned around and looked into Adora’s shocked and frightened eyes he was able to compose himself.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Zero. Now leave my property! I won’t be so kind the next time I ask you to leave us alone.” He yelled through the door, sweat running down his forehead as he waited for an answer. He had blocked the door with the table from the kitchen and he was pressing against it with all his strength but Zero was accompanied by at least 10 Longcoats.  
He heard laughter filling the air outside and he felt a light pressure against the front door.

“Adora, Jeb, I can handle this. You have to leave through the window of our bedroom. If you’re silent enough they won’t hear you escaping into the woods. Run to the next camp , you know it’s not that far away. I will take care of these gentleman outside and follow you once I’m finished.” He whispered to his family.

Adora didn’t look pleased and he knew that she was much too smart to ignore the fact that he couldn’t fight against eleven grown men. His son Jeb, barely twelve annuals old, was holding his mother’s hand and warm tears were running down his face. He didn’t want his father to notice his fear so his head was hanging down and the boy was looking at the floor between his feet.

“You can’t beat them all on your own, Wyatt! We will have to face this together, as a family! Let Zero in and see what he wants... maybe we’re lucky and he only wants to talk." Her voice got hesitant in the end, a sign that she didn’t believe her own words, but she was right. They could stand there and wait for the Longcoats to break into their house, or they could face their enemy and open the door. He only wished that his wife would be less stubborn for once and leave to the Resistance camp with their son.

He let go of the table and embraced his wife for the last time before he was willing to open the door.

He placed a warm kiss on her wet face and caressed her skin with his right hand.

“You’re the bravest woman I know, my love," he said to her, his voice breaking.

“And you're the bravest man. I love you, Cain." With that they kissed again until they were interrupted by the crashing of their front door.  
Zero walked inside with a devilish grin plastered on his face.

“Good day, traitors," he greeted them.

Cain let go of his wife’s hand and when he faced Zero and his unknown future, he knew that his heart was slowly starting to freeze in his chest.  
O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O  
Little Dorothy Gale, or D.G., was a happy little child with magnificent blue eyes and mesmerizing brown hair.

She loved her life in Kansas with her mother Emily and her father Hank. It was peaceful and she had plenty of time to draw and play with her friends from school.

However, she feared the dreams that came to her at night. About a women in a gown , with light hair and lavender eyes, about spinning dolls, a bear and two sisters.

They didn’t come regularly and they were in no order but she knew that they were telling a story. A story about a far away land... a long time ago .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: A short last chapter of Part 1. I hope you enjoyed it . I won’t upload the first chapter of Part 2 on Saturday because I’m on a trip to London but I’ll upload it next Saturday. I’m very sorry for that!! I hope you could see that I tried to end each perspective with the thing that will define Cain, Ambrose and Raw in the future. I tried to capture the happenings between the years of the witch and D.G’s arrival with different perspectives I hope you liked that. If not let me know ^^ Thanks for reading


	12. The witch, the storm and the O.Z

Part 2 Familiar tales of different perspectives

Chapter 1: The Witch, the Storm and the O.Z

She was wrapped in darkness and silence. Her mind was blank and she couldn’t remember what had happened before. Besides that, her head was spinning and her muscles were hurting. Something was wrong and an unknown fear was slowly crawling into her consciousness. With a racing heart and a silent scream on her lips she opened her eyes and raised her body.  
What she saw stopped her from screaming and took all the breath from her lungs.

She was lying in a pile of wooden planks... parts of her house... their house... her parents' house. Besides that there were other belongings of her home. Everything being ripped or dirty from the wet underground. What scared her more than the view of her destroyed home, though, were her surroundings. Something that seemed to be a wood, a clear blue sky, but with TWO bright suns shining above her. The whole world was still spinning lightly and she knew that she was feeling dizzy but when that wore off the two suns were still there.

“A storm is coming.”

She needed to find her parents and get out of this nightmare, if only she could remember what had ripped them apart. She seemed to recall that there had been men wearing long black coats who attacked them and that her parents had told her to jump into a storm but this sounded all much too crazy. On the other hand there were still the two suns and the lack of memory so maybe it wasn’t that crazy at all, considering the circumstances.

“Mom? Dad?" She heard her voice for the first time and it was horrible. It was much too croaky and she sounded much too lost for her taste. With careful but determined steps she walked through the mess that once had been her home. With wide eyes she stopped at a place without trees where she could observe the suns more closely. Their color was a bit different from the sun she was used to as well.

“Where am I?”

The shock and the surprise captivated her, but suddenly she was sure that she had heard something. The creatures that were hiding in the trees were masters of silence, but D.G. was a girl with good ears. Not knowing what would await her and being frightened by the unfamiliar surroundings she grabbed a long stick, a branch of a tree, and held it in front of her as a sign that she knew how to use a weapon, and that she wasn’t a little helpless girl from Kansas, but a fighter.

“Hello?” She screamed, but nothing came back in return. She looked to the sky and at the tress but spotted nothing. Was she going nuts or were her senses playing tricks on her?  
There had been a noise, a strange one, she simply knew it.

"Hello!!" A louder scream but still no response. Fear was building up in her chest and her eyes went wide. She walked deeper in the woods and hoped to find something there when she suddenly heard faint voices. So there was something, or rather someone. More than one.

She turned around in a quick move, and came face to face with two little men who were hanging on ropes and whose skin was colored in blue and red. The wore strange clothes with feathers and they had pointed sticks. If their size and color weren't so funny she would have felt threatened by them.  
“Oh, you have to be kidding me!” Even more little men fell down the trees in graceful manners and now surrounded her.

“Watchful, be watchful," One of them ordered the others and everyone pointed their sticks at her.  
She shooed them away with her own “weapon”, but their size was misleading. Those little men didn’t fear her as much as she had hoped for.

The blue guy now warned his fellows that she might turn them into some kind of creature that she had never heard of before. She was then addressed by the red guy in front of her.

“Who are you?” He said with a deep husky voice that didn’t fit his size.

“I’m D.G.. Who are you?” She responded, feisty.

“I’m red-head resistance fighter of the Eastern Guild.”

“Don’t speak to her of who we be," The blue one interrupted, and D.G. noticed that he was much too suspicious for her taste. In rhymes he accused her of trickery which drove her mad since she had just lost her home and parents. This was more than a crazy dream, this was something far worse.

The situation got weirder when the creatures called her a spy from the sky and got closer with their pointed sticks. Now D.G. knew that talking to them was useless, so she slowly walked backwards in the hope that something would stop the little men from threatening her.

“No. I’m not a spy, I’m not a spy," she kept saying with her stick raised, until her feet got caught in a rope and something made of ropes came out of nothing with a loud swoosh . A net! She had walked into a trap. With a loud scream she tried to defend herself but she knew that a loud voice would not help her to escape from this kind of prison.  
Before she could do another thing, her world went black again.  
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.

When she awoke from darkness the second time that day, she found herself in some kind of wooden cage that was hanging extremely high above the ground between a thick collection of trees. Outside the cage, the blue guy and the red one were standing on a bridge watching her intensely. Around them a whole village seemed to exist between the trees which fascinated but also confused her.

“Will Azkadellia attack from the East?” The red guy barked at her from the distance. It annoyed her that they again were asking her questions that she couldn’t answer and throwing random names at her after they had captured her didn’t really help to raise her mood.

Whoever this Azkadellia was she didn’t have an idea what the little man was talking about, nor did she want to answer this stupid question.

“Who?” She asked, confused with a pissy undertone.

“The sorceress Azkadellia, the one for whom you spy," the blue guy responded equally annoyed. So he was the one who accused her of being a spy. She silently wished that she would get her chance to beat him up after escaping from this cage.

“Okay, how many times do I have to tell you guys that nothing you say makes any sense to me?" Maybe she could get out of here by trying to be nice.Indeed the men looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Perhaps she is just a girl," the one called Red-Head suggested .

“Yes, I am. I’m just a girl." Relief got evident in her voice. They finally seemed to believe her.

“Azkadellia has raided almost all the villages searching for the stone, are we next on her list?” The red guy interrupted her joy. Or maybe they still didn’t believe her. What had she walked into?

“I don’t know about a list, but if this is how you treat strangers it's no surprise you have enemies," she answered wickedly before her gaze froze when the blue guy eyed the inside of her locket. It showed a picture of her and of her parents.

“You know, can you just please put my locket down it has sentimental value." She couldn’t believe that those ... those Munchkins had locked her up and were now even invading her privacy by stealing her belongings. Instead of showing some understanding and kindness they seemed to get even nastier when she had finished ‘threatening’ them.

Now they accused to have seen her parents being accompanied by god knows whom and they definitely couldn’t drop their spy theory that was slowly but surely going on her nerves. The news that her parents were alive was a relief but the little dwarves and their questions made her angry.  
Before she could protest though, they were suddenly talking of heating blades and squeal as you peel which made her feel rather uncomfortable. What were they up to now? The blue man dropped her locket. She could only watch it falling down the trees and landing somewhere on the too far away ground.

After their promise of punishing her to get some information out of her, they left her alone for good. At least she was suddenly feeling much lighter, no matter if they wanted to cook her or not.

The silence was much better than those annoying questions that she couldn’t answer anyway. She was hoping that the silence would help her unravel some of her own mysteries. However, she couldn’t help herself but feel a presence around her. When she listened closely she could hear low sounds of rustling.

She raised her head and looked at the ceiling of the cage to assure herself that she wasn’t alone. When she spotted the second inmate of their prison she suddenly knew that she wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

After rising from her place close to the dizzying hole in the middle of the cage, she observed her company more closely.

“What are you doing?” She asked out of curiosity even though she could tell that she wouldn’t get a proper answer, at least none that would help her.

“Up here? Little... ankle biters-," the last word was screamed and addressed to the little men, “-thought it would be funny to keep me hanging around. Loosen that robe and I might have the last laugh." The creature formed a laugh with its stitched mouth before it faced D.G. with wide.... well, buttons and raised patch eyebrows.

“Come on doll, if mom and pop are really on their way to Central City then you are falling further and further behind." Now it seemed to mock her by making a face that looked rather silly, since the burlap crinkled in the most uncommon places. However, she didn’t let herself distract by his appearance and listened to his words carefully.

“You know the way?” She asked cautiously. She had experienced a lot in the last hours, she had jumped into a storm, been captured by little painted people and now she was talking to a living animated Scarecrow.

“Sure!” He assured her with a look that seemed to resemble that he was hurt by her distrust and much too sure of himself. “But it's kinda hard to give directions like this... unless you have a better offer." Now he talked to her mockingly as if she was a little child which only raised her anger, but he was the first one willing to help her, so she kept to herself that she seemed to have stumbled upon the most rude Scarecrow in this whole dream world.

Reluctantly she opened the knot that was holding the ropes together and that were binding the Scarecrow to the top of the ceiling. When the creature was released it sank to the floor with evident sounds of much effort which amused her a little.

“What the hell," she murmured.

“What? You’re not so hot on first glance either, honey." It or he responded in that sarcastic manner that she was slowly getting used to. The Scarecrow organized its ragged clothes before it cocked its head and looked at D.G. with those hollow button eyes that in addition with his fake eyebrows reasembled confusion.

“What is ... is there a problem?” He seemed to have noticed that she was staring at him, so she decided that telling the truth would be the best way to get some answers.

“You’re a scarecrow," she said matter of factly.

He blinked at that and D.G. was even more surprised that he could actually do that with his buttons.

“That is a marvelous deduction, I must say, but let me repeat my question: Is there a problem?” He repeated now sounding a bit more forceful rather than questioning.  
“Well you talk and move and you’re much too nasty for something that can only be out of some fairytale, so I was wondering myself how it can be that you’re capable of all that," D.G. replied, and for the first time she could see something like sadness crawling on his burlap face.

“I haven't always been like this you know... at least I think so ... my memory has been better too, I guess. This is all the sorceress doing," he mumbled, and D.G. couldn’t believe the sudden change of his attitude. Maybe he wasn’t such a nasty guy... thing ... after all.

“Why would she do that?” She asked curiously while the Scarecrow removed the last remains of the ropes. When they dropped to the floor he eyed her with a serious glance.

“Because of what I know... or used to know... whatever it was," he answered shortly, which made her hope that he wouldn’t always talk in riddles like that.

A silence feel between them – an awkward moment in which neither of them knew what to say until the Scarecrow suddenly spoke again, this time a broad smile on his face.

“Name’s Glitch, on account that sometimes my synapses don’t fire right," he paused for a second before he repeated himself “sometimes my synapses don’t fire right." What an odd being he was.

“You just said that," she answered with a laugh on her lips. The Scarecrow was shocked and confused at the same time when she told him that he was repeating himself.

“Did I?? There you go, glitching again!” He snickered and shook his head.

“And here I was thinking this nightmare couldn’t get any weirder." Seriously, a talking Scarecrow with the strange name Glitch had offered her to help find her parents that had been captured by men that had arrived in Kansas through a storm. Was there anything more awaiting her?

“This isn’t a nightmare. This is the O.Z ... The Outer Zone. Used to be a piece of heaven too , until Azka-dee got her claws into it." All sarcasm and joy had left his voice and were now replaced by anger and grief. The name that he mentioned sounded familiar to her.

“Azkadellia!”

“Hmm”

“The sorceress of darkness”

“Yup.”

“Village raider… the one who curses people.”

Glitch nodded to all of that before he froze in his tracks when they could hear the fighters from the Eastern Guild yelling that Longcoats had entered their territory. They watched as the little men ran around furiously and D.G. herself got nervous at the prospect of being caught by those stinking men that had taken away her parents.

She looked down on the floor and suddenly something hit her. She kneeled down and started to climb out of the hole that was covering most of the cage. The Scarecrow seemed to be confused about that

“What are you doing?” He asked with an unsure undertone.

“I’ve got an idea," she yelled back before she jumped out of the cage and grabbed the edges of it with her hands. Now she was hanging outside, her feet and body dangling in the air.

“Hello... D.G.... it’s too high to jump," she could hear from inside the cage and she was too distracted to ask herself how it was possible that Glitch knew her name although she hadn’t introduced herself.

Now wasn’t the time for questions like this. She swung herself back and forward until the cage was moving enough to bring her closer to the bridge. Glitch was rambling and cursing nonstop but she ignored him. One last swing and her feet touched the wooden planks of the construction and with a brave jump she landed on the other side.  
The Scarecrow was holding onto the bars of their cage as if they were lifesavers and staring at her pleadingly.

“Come on we don’t have much time," she encouraged him and although she had doubted that he would do it, he climbed out of the cage and jumped after her.

When they were both standing on the bridge they looked at each other for a second before they quickly fled the place. Luckily there was a rope that had appeared out of nothing and that would lead them away from the resistance camp and from the Longcoats which were examining the grounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Okay well that was the first chapter of the second part…uhm I’m kind of afraid that I now lost the few readers that I had up to this point or that you want to strangle me for what I did to Glitch but I guess I have to live with that. I’m really sorry and I don’t blame you if you don’t like this crazy idea of mine but I wanted to give it a go and I really hope that someone likes it. The thing is that I didn’t want Ambrose to turn into the Glitch we know because Cain shouldn’t recognize him. Like in the original series they both should be strangers to each other and with all the Original Wizard of Oz stories and the background I chose for Ambrose it seemed like a nice idea to turn him into a Scarecrow. There will be explanations why he isn’t a human anymore and other things will happen so please don’t give up on me now. Also I need to say that I tried my best to add lines from the series but sometimes I had problems to understand what they were saying so I apologize if there are mistakes. Chapter 2 of Part 2 will follow next Saturday. Thanks for reading , I hope you enjoyed it.   
> PS: If anybody read my story ‘You’re my heart no matter what will be’, they know that I used the idea with the Scarecrow before …I didn’t intend to repeat that idea but it came in handy.


	13. The story of a Tin Man

After the night that soon manifested itself as the night of the witch, Cain had followed the Mystic Man's instructions and left Central City for several weeks. Adora had been surprised to see her husband home so soon. When he was working on errands for the Mystic Man he wasn’t supposed to be home for a couple of days.

The first thing he had done was hug Adora, then he had asked for Jeb who had been deep asleep in his room. After checking on him and making sure that everything was all right with his child, he had grabbed the bottle of bourbon, that Adora was hiding in the parlor, to pour him and his wife a drink. Then he had told her everything.

It had been comforting to have Adora to talk to. The almost death of the princess, the turn of Azkadellia and the desperate faces of his two friends gnawed on him. At least Adora had been able to make him forget the fear that was embracing parts of his heart. However, she didn’t succeed in making the fear go away completely.

The weeks that followed the announcement of D.G.’s death were a nightmare, nevertheless they couldn’t even resemble the fear and horror that was going to await them in the future.   
As the Mystic Man had promised them, the Queen was able to bring her beloved daughter to the Otherside, after that, however, it was her task to take care of the daughter that remained.

When he knew that Adora and Jeb were safe (he had asked men and women from the neighborhood to build little communities so that several people could take care of each other at once) he left for Central City again in order to help the Queen and the Mystic Man to find a solution for Azkadellia.  
In the years that followed he witnessed a lot of misery.

He had protected and worked for the Mystic Man as long as it was humanly possible for him, but when Azkadellia grew older, her powers grew with it. She had always been a smart kid, like her uncle, and so it was only a matter of time until she started to win over dark forces that would help her realize her plans.

Soon she had gathered a terrible army of so called Longcoats around her, a private collection of men and women alike who would follow her into the darkest corners of the O.Z. if that would please the Sorceress. Ozma and Ahamo couldn’t hold her captive anymore, and soon the Queen herself became a prisoner in her own castle. Weeks later it had been said that the Prince Consort was banished from the lands.

Cain had never intended to leave in an hour of despair like this but Ambrose had pleaded with him to go and protect his family.

“Go! Your family needs you "  
The words of his friend still haunted his memories and it was as unbearable as to watch the memories in front of his eyes.He had listened to Ambrose’s words and left Central City.  
It was the last time that he would see the shining city on the hill for a very long time.

Two years after that the war started to spread in the country and no matter how hard the Queen and her family tried to stop Azkadellia there was little power left to them.  
Wyatt Cain had built up a group of Resistant Fighters and many other villages and clans followed his example. It wasn’t too late in the eyes of the people, to fight. They hadn’t lost their spirits yet and it made Cain proud to see that so many people at once were willing to risk their own lives for the Queen.

Their forces were strong in the beginning but the years of the war passed by in an instant, yet they seemed to crawl as slowly as a snail.  
Many people would give their lives in the effort to stop the regime of Azkadellia who was now known as the Sorceress.Many of those that Cain loved would pay a high prize for their loyalty.

Cain’s brother Robin threw the first stone...and with him the catastrophe of a lifetime began. Even before the reign of the Sorceress, in the years of his absence, Robin had joined a group of fanatics, believers that were hoping to live in the times of the Great War again. When Azkadellia rose from the ashes of the Great War like a phoenix, Robin Cain had been one of the first who joined her.  
The message of his sons’ horrible betrayal had broken Wyatt sr.'s heart and in a few weeks time he had died from the grief and humiliation.

At the day of his funeral Cain had cried many tears for both the loss of his father and the brother that was still alive but dead to him forever.His mother was a strong woman who refused to let her sorrow eat her up but Cain could see that she was a broken woman. Her hair had turned into the color of grey dust and her face looked worn out and wrinkly when he carried her away from her husband’s grave.

Only two years later and another horrible message would strike his family.  
Elliot Parr, a skilled fighter and honorable brave Tin Man, husband of his youngest sister Rose Cain, was killed during an attack from the Longcoats, leaving little Rose without protection and leading to her mysterious disappearance.

Weeks passed until everyone heard what had happened to Elliot’s wife .  
Resistant fighters found her corpse at the edge of a wood, her throat had been cut through and her body not only showed signs of fighting but also of rape.  
The few that were left of the Cain family were shocked by this news and sadness was the tamest emotion that Wyatt jr. felt that day. He thought that his sister’s death would be his mother’s end but the woman lived on.

 

Then there had been the attack of Rick Zero. He and ten Longcoats had come to his cottage. They had threatened Cain and his family. They had broken into the house and Zero had slapped Adora. Cain had gotten into rage and started a fight with the man, the fight continued outside until three Longcoats grabbed Cain by the arms so that Zero could beat him up properly.

“What a coward he is," had rushed through Cain’s mind.

Two other Longcoats had grabbed Adora, another one grabbing Jeb, and although Cain was full of fear he was proud to see his family fighting back.  
No matter how much he had tried to defeat Zero though, he had known that he would lose in the end and then there was nothing except darkness.  
O.o.O.o.O.O.O.

That was eight annuals ago …at least he thought it was, after such a long time in a prison like his it was hard to tell which day or even annual it was.

Aside from that his mind didn’t only suffer from the loss of air or distraction, more than that it suffered from the pictures in front of his eyes, that were playing on end in a terrible torturing loop.  
Adora being pulled out of the cabin and slapped, little Jeb fighting, him being beaten up by Zero. They had turned into horrible memories a long time ago, yet they wouldn’t stop playing in front of his eyes.

“The most imaginative torture is left for those who resist Azkadellia.”  
A saying that was known all over the O.Z. by now.

Cain didn't believe that his wife and son were still alive, nor did he have the hope that he would ever escape the Tin Suit, his personal fate of torture. However he was sure that he suddenly heard voices approaching and that someone outside had found him.

When the pictures of his family's torment disappeared and the blue eyes of a woman, followed by ugly brown buttons (wait buttons?) appeared his heart skipped a beat and he started shouting.  
Years he had waited for this day to come and though he doubted that he would want to live outside the Tin Suit for another day he was willing to give it a chance.  
Hatred, anger and a thick layer of pessimism were clouding his mind and wrapping his heart.

His shouting must have convinced the people outside, (or maybe it was just his moving) that he was still alive but he could see that both were backing away from the Tin Suit.

“NO!” He mouthed being too weak to form words on his dry lips.

To his relief the Scarecrow remained and it even seemed to assure him that help was near, moments later and he could her a banging that reminded him of the sound when metal hit metal. The bang was followed by a short pause and suddenly his prison was filled with light and air from outside.

For a moment he stood there, in the sweat of his despair, in the grease of his sorrow and completely in trance, still believing that it was all a dream. Soon though, he realized that he was finally free, after all these years. His legs gave out from the overwhelming emotions around him and he fell to the ground less gracefully, but for a moment as if he was at peace.  
Then he remembered Zero and the horrible things that were happing in the O.Z. and his anger returned.

“Are you okay?” the young woman who had freed him asked cautiously, you could hear that she was worried for him although she didn’t even know who he was. Sympathy, a feeling he surely wouldn’t be able to feel ever again. She was clutched to the Scarecrow and almost embraced it as if she was also afraid of Cain and needed the strange creature to protect her.

“Where are they?” He asked because it was the first thing that came to his mind although he knew that they wouldn’t know the answer. However, if you spent years with thinking of your past and the destiny of your beloved ones, it was hard to drop that habit.

He knew he looked scary, probably being all grey, dusty and sweaty. His hair was completely out of place and longer than he ever wanted it to be. In addition to that his long beard was almost as horrifying as his hair which made him flinch although he hadn’t gotten a chance to look at himself yet.

Since the newcomers didn’t seem to be able to talk nor to walk, he did the work for them by raising from the place where he had fallen down. Next he walked to the machine that had forced him to watch his family’s torture over and over again and with a strong pull (something he had doubted he would be able to do) he released the pole from the machine.

It was one of Ambrose inventions he remembered that, it was a shame that Azkadellia twisted it for her terrible purpose though. He hadn’t seen his friend in over a decade but he could feel that he wouldn’t approve and he wondered what Azkadellia had done to get the blueprints.  
When the machine touched the ground he stared into the wide emptiness of the woods next to his cabin. Before he did anything else he made a decision.

“I'm gonna kill him," he mumbled forcefully before he left the strangers alone and walked into his cabin to look for things that he could use to clean himself. Fortunately he found a razor, as well as some of his old clothes... all being fresh and clean. Nevertheless it hurt to see that his home... their home was falling apart and that it was only haunted by memories and ghosts of the past.  
The girl and the Scarecrow still hadn’t said a thing so he didn’t see the urge to introduce himself and headed off for the lake instead.

A good hour later and all the signs of his punishment and torture had vanished away and he almost looked like his old self again, yet older and slightly worn out.  
He sighed and stared into the grey sky while he listened to the Scarecrow explaining to the woman that the most imaginative tortures were left for people like him.  
There was no time to waste so he rose from his place at the shore and turned around to face his rescuers.

“How long were you trapped in there?” The woman asked with her hands on her hips.

“Since that was a sapling," he answered and pointed at the big tree close to the lake with a quick move of his head.

He couldn’t see it but he could feel that the strangers were looking at the tree in awe, maybe with sympathy again. It wasn’t fair to treat them so rudely for they hadn’t done anything that could have darkened his mood, but his heart seemed to be dominated by this feeling lately and he couldn’t let emotions like regret stop him from chasing after Zero.Nevertheless he stood still for a moment to express his gratitude.

“Much obliged for the help." When had it started to be so hard to simply say : Thank you?

“You’re welcome, Mr. Cain," the woman responded knowing his name now that he had introduced himself during this hour of cleaning. Slowly she headed after him as he was making his way to the cabin again. As he kneeled down to collect the rest of his remaining belongings from a Tin box he could hear the girl introducing herself as D.G.

He froze! That couldn’t be! There was only one girl he knew with the name D.G. and that had been the princess, Azkadellia’s sister and a long forgotten memory in the hearts of the people. Lavender had sent her away to the Otherside to protect her...yet the Mystic Man had said that she would return one day.

Nevertheless he wasn't sure if it was foolish to believe in fate and destiny anymore so he decided to remain suspicious. Maybe her name was D.G., maybe she was the lost princess, but maybe she was just a weird, strange woman with the same name. Her parents could have been dedicated loyal supporters of the Queen... anything was possible and those were desperate times. He would keep a distance, it was safer. There wasn’t time to solve this mystery for the moment.

“And this is….," she wanted to introduce her friend but Cain interrupted her.

“A Scarecrow... that seems obvious," He started while the Scarecrow laughed uncomfortably and said that it had a proper name and would tell him as soon as he could remember it.

“I've never seen a talking and ugly Scarecrow like this one before. In the old days they used to headcase criminals… looks like they have changed their methods," He said more rudely than he had meant to and it seemed to affect the ugly creature.

“Hey, whoa, I ain’t no convict!" it yelled at him.

“So why are you wearing the royal garb then? This is what people used to wear at the Palace and, excuse my manners, but you don’t look like something that used to belong there, which means that you must have stolen it!” He shouted back.

“And just in case I am! It was bogus charge, a frame job, I’m sure of it! I can’t remember where I got it but I’m not a thief!” The Scarecrow replied in sorrow.

Cain left the talking convict behind to grab his coat and hat before he would leave for Central City. He put his things on and returned to the strangers to say goodbye and observe them for the last time.

“Yeah well...,” That was addressed at the Scarecrow and his doubts of its background. “I'll see you down the road.” And with that he placed his hat were it belonged.

The young woman came closer again this time with more despair in her eyes and a quicker pace.

“Actually a road is what we’re looking for," she started and exchanged questioning looks with her odd companion. “We’re looking for the brick road that leads to a place called Central City, do you know of it?" They mumbled in an awkward unison.

Of course he knew where it was, however he feared what they would ask next when he told them so. He checked his gun before he answered and since he still was a good man he did give them the right information after all.

“Yeah , it’s where Zero headed after...,” he had to pause ... what was happening? He couldn’t trust these people without knowing who they were and now he was given away side stories of his past?  
“It’s where I'm headed now," he finished and started walking away from them. Hoping that they would leave him alone wasn't on his mind though.

He couldn’t blame them but he couldn’t help them as well, or maybe he could?

“Great we’ll go with you!” He heard the woman called D.G. exclaiming behind him and he could feel her breaths at his heels.

“I got business, besides I don’t travel with kids or convicts.” He could feel the symbolic eye rolling of the scarecrow in his back but he carried on. The girl was resistant herself though.

“I'm not a kid and the people that came to your home came to mine. I'm just looking for my parents," she pointed out forcefully and was accompanied by the Scarecrow which exclaimed that it was looking for its memories.

“Maybe we can find ....”

“Maybe we can find ...Maybe we can what?” Now he turned around and almost attacked the girl that was standing very close to him, in the end he just looked at her very angrily since he couldn’t bring himself to harm anyone. His voice was harsh and forceful though.

“Find what, my wife...my boy?! There are gone probably just like your folks are." And with that he turned his gaze back to the road and kept walking. He could have stayed stubborn and cold-hearted, he could have kept his pace, left them alone to their own destinies but for some reason he needed to stop to at least explain to them why teaming up with them was a bad idea.  
He lowered his head and sighed, hoping that the brim of his hat would hide the true feelings evident in his eyes.

“Look nothing personal kid, but look at you, first time in trouble and you will just cut and run.”  
It sounded plausible to him, both really looked like they were scared out of their minds, although he couldn’t really judge the Scarecrow’s expression.

What he didn’t expect though, was the response of the girl.

“Nothing personal but when we found you, you were in a tin box! You don’t know me. Come, Glitch, we’ll find the way ourselves," she spat at him with anger but also hurt in her eyes.

She was feisty! For an instant she really reminded him of Ozma Lavender, the hair, the eyes, the posture and that response…but could he trust instincts like that when it came to something so important as to identify the true origin of this woman?

D.G...D.G such a name wasn’t common...or random. Maybe he should give it a try and spend some time with the strangers. He could find out more about them and decide after that if it was best to let them go their own way or not.

His gaze followed her as she was stumping through the high grass in front of his cabin, unknowingly making her way into the direction of the Field of the Papae.

“The way? The way leads to the field of the Papae," He said matter of factly but with a warning undertone.

“Papae?” He heard the Scarecrow asking and he could hear the fear and uncertainty in his voice.  
The Creature must have done or gestured something for he could hear D.G. return, angrier than before.

“What? I've been tossed into a storm, trussed up by land gnomes, chased by mad men on horseback how bad can Papae be?” There was a fury in her voice again that kind of impressed Cain. She must have been through a lot but he could tell that she had no idea what dangers, real dangers were hiding in the shadowy parts of the O.Z..

“I’ve seen them gnaw people in half within 30 seconds." His features softened and he let the thought of this girl being their savior. This hope started floating through his body.  
He had sworn to himself that it was foolish to hope, but he also knew that those two strangers were the first people he had met in ages and that they had enlightened something inside of him which he thought had died a long time ago.

They had freed him and been kind to him ever since he had left the Tin Suit. His friends and Adora, even little Jeb, had taught him that it was important to return this kindness for you never knew when it was too late to show your gratitude. They were lost without him and although he wanted to chase Zero solo, they needed his help.

Nevertheless, he would never admit this in front of the strangers, keeping up an invisible wall between them that would protect them all from psychical pain. Therefore he put on a show and sighed dramatically before he revealed his new plans.

“Rag doll, keep your mouth shut, kid you stay behind me.” He said softer than before.

He let the new information sink in and didn’t wonder when the girl came closer to see for herself that he wasn’t lying. Those deep blue eyes fixed him deeply in a gaze that was hard to avoid.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” She asked and he honestly couldn't tell why he had done it. It was a good question. Most importantly he wouldn’t tell her that he might know something about her past and background. The would need to find that out together.

“Believe me, heart's got nothing to do with it,” He therefore responded and quickly started to make his way in the opposite direction ,away from the Field of the Papae and towards an unknown future.

Eventually his new companions followed him and picked up the pace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Okay that was the second chapter of Part 2 , I hope you liked it. I had to slightly change certain things since to Glitch’s altered identity and Cain knowing the Royal family but I hope that I managed that smoothly. Also I really liked to play with different points of views so the first chapter was more of a point of view from D.G , this one all belongs to Cain. All in all I will focus a lot on Cain’s thoughts since he is the only one who can remember his past at the palace, which is new to me because I usually concentrate more on Glitch but I guess Cain deserves this attention as well. Next chapter on Wednesday , thanks for reading ;)


	14. Questions are answers unspoken

Their little company had grown. D.G. still wasn’t sure what exactly the silent furry creature was representing, but Raw was radiating a serenity and silence that their odd little group needed, especially since Cain and Glitch couldn’t stop fighting and having arguments. Moreover, they had solved one of the first mysteries on her seemingly endless list. Her parents weren't what they seemed to be but this fact alone wasn't gnawing on her.

They were robots, that was frightening and strange, unusual and weird, but what had hit her more than that: They weren’t her real parents. Her real mother had to give her away and send her to the ‘Otherside’ as the people here called it, and there was no reason at all why she should have done it. Maybe there was one, but she couldn’t know that right now, maybe she would find out eventually, but all those questions and unsolved mysteries were poison for her already strained nerves.  
After their departure from Milltown and their encounter with Father Vue, they had been on the run again in the search of a guy called Mystic Man and D.G had to leave behind her beloved parents – robots or not. Cain had guided them through the woods and over fields right to the walls of Central City.

There they had faced frightening realizations which still made D.G.’s tummy spin. The whole O.Z. was at their heels and wanted posters with her face on it were hanging all over the place. Without cover they would have never gotten into the city as free people.

Luckily enough they had encountered an old ‘friend’ of Cain's who ‘voluntarily’ offered to bring them into the city by smuggling them inside his wagon of filth. DeMilo was a dirty and disgusting Chauvin, but in the end it was him who brought them to the Mystic Man safe and sound.  
Even though she had been secretly against it, he had even provided them with disguises so that they could visit the Mystic Man’s show without being recognized.

To her horror and despair Cain had decided to part with them there which left her alone with Glitch and Raw, not the most inconspicuous company and not the most protective either. She didn’t mean any offense by that but deep inside she doubted that the two creatures could put up a fight against the Longcoats .

She had hoped that she was able to convince the former Tin Man to stay, by telling him that revenge wasn’t the right solution but the man was stubborn.  
Now they were standing in a tiny dressing room, Glitch and Raw being cloaked, she in a filthy, much too short dress, and the Mystic Man full of Azkadellia's drugs.

They had seen his show and it hadn't reuired a genius to tell that something was wrong. This wasn't the man that was supposed to help them; this was only a whimpering lousy shell of the man that should have been their key.

The Mystic Man was shivering like a leaf and babbling nonsense and D.G. was slowly but surely running out of ideas.

Besides that they were running out of time which gnawed on her nerves even more. They could hear the ruckus outside before they could see it and suddenly a Longcoat was pointing a gun at her and as she had feared there was neither Glitch nor Raw who could help her and her heart felt like it would burst from her chest. The man ordered his colleague to inform Zero of their hiding spot, however, they were all surprised when the man was knocked to the floor by a fist and they saw a familiar gun threatening the other attacker before Glitch knocked him down with an empty bottle of wine. The gun was accompanied by a much familiar voice and everyone was surprised when the Tin Man suddenly came walking in.

“Thought you weren’t a Tin Man anymore," D.G. scolded him, but actually she was glad as she saw the man in the familiar green coat and significant fedora.

“We gotta go!” Was the short reply, which indicated that D.G.’s words didn't affect Cain in the least. The Longcoats now knew where they were and Cain was a practical man who obviously would do anything to protect her. Nonetheless, they couldn't leave without any answers.

“We can’t…he is not well," she said and shrugged her shoulders in the process, it was a helpless gesture that underlined their desperate situation.

“Who’s not well?” Cain asked in curiosity, and he finally entered the tiny dressing room. She seemed to have caught his attention and she was glad that he seemed to care for her wishes after all.

With a move of her head she pointed at the man sitting in an armchair behind her, since she had covered his body with her own, Cain wasn’t able to see the crouched Mystic Man in the background. Now however he saw him for the first time and D.G. could see the evident shock on his face. This was a man who knew the Mystic Man before he became this crumbling mess. What he now seemed to feel was even more anger but also sadness.

“Oh my! That’s not the Mystic Man I remember," he exclaimed calmly and walked even closer into the room where the Mystic Man was clutching at the armchair and silently crying.

“Azkadellia has really messed him up. She's got him on the vapors." Although it was evident on his face, Cain's voice stayed surprisingly unaffected when he talked about his old friend which confused D.G. a little bit. Wyatt Cain was a real enigma. One time he would show the most strongest emotions on his face and in his voice and other times he would be flat like he was made out of Tin himself and as if he didn’t have a heart at all.

“Hey, look until this wears off you're gonna hurt for a while, okay?” Cain was now crouching in front of the Mystic Man and talking to him slowly and kindly, in the hope that the man would show a reaction or come to his senses. She was grateful that he tried to help her but she also knew that they couldn’t wait until the influence of the drugs was gone.

“I need answers now," she said commandingly and placed a hand on Cain’s shoulder.

“Would be the vapors talking not him," Cain answered before he faced the crying Mystic Man again.

“Do you think Zero’s gonna wait." She knew she had a point there and although his back was facing her she could see that he sighed because he was agreeing to her argument. He seemed to struggle with himself for a second before he sighed again and raised himself up to make space for D.G., while she kneeled down he made his way to the door in order to keep watch for new intruders. Glitch followed him shortly afterwards and together they would give her some time to ask her questions.  
On her knees and with her hands on the Mystic Man’s legs she tried her best to get the information they needed...she needed.

“Sir, sir...you have some answers

“Answers?”

“Yes.”

“Sure,” even though he sounded unsure she seemed to have his attention now so she gave it a try.

“Many years ago you helped a woman smuggle a child out of the O.Z.," she started carefully.

“Out of the O.Z.," he repeated in order to keep track with her, she was happy that he was listening but then he started to repeat it more often and more forcefully.

“Out of the O.Z,, Yes...yes.”

“Yes. I was that child," she now raised her voice in order to be louder than him.

“Right," he nodded approvingly,although his movement was hectic and she could tell that the drugs were still clouding his mind. She wouldn’t give up too fast though.

“So you have to help me find out where my mother is, who my mother is.” These were the final questions she wanted to deliver and hoped he could help her.

“Uhm... a woman ...uh...uh...uhm...women are great." The old man shifted uneasily on his seat before he started to laugh uncontrollably about his own joke.

“I remember who...I remember who...who." He was mad.

“My mother." She was helpless.

“Who??” Completely out of his mind.

“My mother.” Desperate for answers.

“Whose mother?” A lunatic.

“My mother!” And angry.

“Whose mother?” A mess.

Later she wouldn’t be able to recall why she had gotten so angry at this moment but when he started to laugh in her face she slapped him pretty hard. At that moment it was the only solution that came to her mind.

“Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry," she tried to defend herself and apologize with her hands stretched into the air, her open palms showing into the direction of the mad man.

The slap had hit him hard but it seemed to have worked. When he saw the shining little cyclone on her hand he suddenly grabbed it and looked like he had finally gotten to his senses.  
He smiled for the first time and relief showed on his face. It almost seemed like he was glad that she had slapped and therefore saved him. He wasn’t more than another victim of Azkadellia.

“You have most brilliant beautiful blue eyes but your mother, your mother had lavender," he said and everyone turned around, surprised by his first clear sentence that in addition made sense as well.

“You do remember," she said completely flabbergasted, her hope starting to come back.  
O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O  
Cain couldn’t believe what he was hearing! The old man could remember this cold and dark night many annuals ago in which Lavender and Ambrose had come to them to talk about the changes in Azkadellia and the death of D.G..

There was no doubt anymore, the girl, the young woman was the lost princess D.G., their only hope. This realization hit him hard because now it would be even harder to protect her. Once everyone else would find out they were doomed.

“Okay, kiddo, we gotta get out of here right now!”

“Not yet, Mr. Cain! He hasn’t told us where to find my mother," she said strictly and blocked his way with her hand. At the mentioning of his name he could see that realization hit the Mystic Man and that he now knew who was standing in front of him.  
The old man lifted himself up with much more ease than before and grabbed Cain’s arms with both his hands.

“Cain! Cain you were one of mine, weren’t you? A Tin Man!” The old man breathed hard, but with determination in his voice. There was sadness and despair in his eyes which could both come from his inner struggle against the drugs but also because of the realization that Azkadellia was using him for her own good and that his past was now getting back at him.  
This sadness was a reflection of his own feelings and although he hated to admit it, it was also evident on his face. To see his old boss so desperate and helples , a puppet in Azkadellia’s game, caused his crumbled heart to sink.

“A long time ago," he answered and hoped that helping the Mystic Man to remember his past would soothe some of the pain.

Their silent moment of reconciliation and their own private moment of reunion was soon interrupted by Glitch, who tried to catch Cain’s attention. The Scarecrow was standing in the door way and gesturing widely, telling Cain that new Longcoats were on the way.  
He left his old friend behind so that he could tell D.G. about her mother, while he walked to Glitch.

“Please," he could hear the girl pleading.

“The Northern Island." This time the old man didn’t disappoint any of them.

“The Northern Island," D.G. repeated, mesmerized.

“The journey for her to find who you are, starts there," the Mystic Man answered.  
They were finally getting their answers but now there was no going back and no way to escape, for Cain could see Zero talking to the guy who managed the backstage area. Now they had to find another way out and he already had a plan what that would be.  
He left the doorway and sprinted to the window that was directed to the backside of the theatre.

“Let this guide you," he heard the Mystic Man say before he turned around to inform D.G. and the rest that it was time to escape.

“Okay you two, get those two out of her. Let’s go, let’s go," he instructed Glitch and Raw. He would stay behind and protect their backs but the Mystic Man seemed to have other plans.

“No, no no! You stay with her at all costs!” He yelled at Cain and stopped him from going after the Longcoats by blocking the way and keeping Cain at a distance with his hand.  
Cain wanted to protest but he could see the urging and determination in the eyes of his former boss.

“She can take care of her own!” He mumbled.

“You know who she is now. She is the key!” the old man replied and they both knew that he was right.

D.G. was the daughter of Queen Ozma Lavender and she would be able to save the whole O.Z. As a former Tin Man and friend of the Royal family it was his duty to protect this woman but his doubts haunted his mind and he knew that the Mystic Man might die in the process of earning them enough time to escape.

“Promise me! I want your word as a Tin Man. You will not leave her side at any cost” He heard the Mystic Man say and he hated him for asking something like this from him.

In the end it was his sanity and reason that caused him to make the right decision.

“You have my word," he heard himself say and with a last suffering glance he observed how the Mystic Man grabbed his cane and made his way out of the dressing room and in the direction of unknown dangers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: This one particular line of the Mystic Man , where he tells Cain that he knows who D.G is has always confused me . Surely there are some good reasons why Cain might know more things about her …maybe the Mystic Man only meant to say that Cain knows that D.G is the key but whatever it is , I used it to my advantage. I hope you liked the little focus on Cain. More to come on Saturday ;) Thanks for reading!


	15. Frozen in Time

Once they had reached the Northern Palace, all frozen in time and covered with a thick layer of ice, Cain felt like he was forcefully pushed back into the past again only to remind him what he had lost. As D.G. had opened long sealed doors and they had seen the portrait of Ozma and Ambrose, he had needed to confess his suspicions and revealed the young girls true identity.

She had believed him. Right after seeing the picture of her mother, that reassembled her in so many ways, she had trusted his words. It was as if deep down she knew all along that she was the princess and that her mother was the queen of the O.Z. Hopefully her memories would come back with this trust and implicitness with which she accepted her fate.

Cain was relieved that she knew the truth but he felt hollow in this haunted place. The portrait seemed as if it was mockingly staring down at him, telling him that he was foolish to think that a young girl could save them all, laughing at him for having faith in her and for hoping that he might be reunited again with the people who were shown in the picture. His throat felt dry, his head was spinning, his hands felt sweaty and he was almost sure that he would get a panic attack if D.G. hadn’t suddenly decided to explore the deserted palace and search for more hidden information and memories.

Glitch and Raw followed her immediately, whereas Cain needed a moment to breathe before he climbed up the stairs that as he knew lead to the first floor where the Royal family had their private bedchambers. When he reached the last step, he hoped that he wouldn’t be washed over by even more hurtful feelings that were created by this place but when he followed D.G. into her old room (something the girl couldn’t know but Cain) he was relieved that the dizziness and the tight knot in his stomach didn’t return. Yet it was a sad sight, furniture was covered with white bed sheets, dust was hovering over the floor, curtains and ice that covered the windows were stopping the light from outside from breaking through which only added to the gloomy atmosphere that was created.

As if she knew that something was waiting for her in this chamber, D.G. roamed around the room and looked into every corner before she gave up and sat down. Raw and Glitch did the same, trying to help the young woman with her desperate search for answers. While Raw flinched whenever he touched the remains of the room, Glitch behaved even weirder than usual. As if in trance he walked through the room, raising the sheets and absentmindedly staring at the things he revealed, among them a harp that Ozma used to play so passionately that no one had been able to walk past the room without stopping.

Confusion was written on his face by crinkles that formed on the burlap and for a moment he looked as if he, like D.G., could suddenly remember something. But that was impossible, why should a Scarecrow remember the royal palace and the harp that was played by the Queen? However, Cain further observed how Glitch touched the instrument, before shaking his head and letting go of the sheet, walking back to D.G..

Cain was willing to follow the Scarecrow and ask it...him about this flash of a moment when he suddenly heard Raw saying that they had to leave because terrible things had happened. More than anything he wanted to know why Glitch had been so mesmerized by the harp and by the room in general but the viewer’s announcement made him forget about the Scarecrow and pushed away his thoughts to make room for new suspicions.

Terrible things? For a moment he froze, a shiver running down his back and his skin feeling cold. Was this the place where it had happened? Was this the place where D.G. had been killed?  
O.o.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.  
Something was strange about this place, not only because everything was deserted and because it was cold, dark and spooky, but because everything looked so familiar that it frightened him. He didn’t know if he had ever remembered something before but suddenly there were pictures in the back of his mind that he had never seen before so he assumed that it was something he had forgotten.

But how? Why should he remember a place where nobody was living? This was the Northern Palace as the crazy old man had told them and it was the last connection to D.G.’s mother. This was not a place for him to remember, this was the place where D.G. should remember her past and search for signs of her lost mother. Yet everything he had unveiled looked as if he had seen it before. Each item telling a story on its own, a story which he couldn’t quite recall ever hearing or experiencing but the flashes of pictures in front of his eyes had been there so he couldn’t just pretend as if they were a lie.  
Strange unfamiliar emotions developed in his mind, something that scared him even more than the memories. Anger, Sadness, Fear …emotions …he was a Scarecrow …he couldn’t feel. What was happening with him?

He had preferred to dedicate all his time to the strange feelings and questions that were building up in his artificial body. He had to use the moments of remembrance and clarity that were given to him, however he got distracted by Raw who told them to leave since the place was dangerous which only added to his fear.  
O.O.O.o.o.O.O.O  
The furry viewer had been clutching to the post of the giant bed that was standing in the middle of the room the expression on his face was speaking volumes and the tight knot reappeared again. As much as he wished that this wasn’t the place he suspected to be, the whole atmosphere and the viewer’s reaction were evidence enough to encourage Cain that his assumptions were right.  
With pleading in his voice Raw asked D.G. to leave, grabbing both her hands and pulling her into the direction of the door.

“We go now." He decided but the girl was reluctant.

“No, I need to know. Raw please," she begged in return. Only now Cain noticed that the viewer was shaking with fear.

“Bad things," Raw whimpered, his eyes screaming that he wanted to go and run away from the past that he himself had never witnessed.

Hoping that Cain might help him he turned his head and looked at the Tin Man, relying on his humanity and his sense of protection. Cain knew that it was wrong to torture the viewer and force him to show them something that he was afraid of but he wanted to know. He wanted to see how it had happened. He had only heard about it through his friends and he had never been able to accept that Azkadellia had pulled the strings and killed her own sister. He had kept the woman’s true identity to himself and that hadn’t been fair of him. He wouldn’t want to stay in the way another time. She deserved to see the truth.

“ Tell her," he ordered Raw, whose shock was evident on his face and through his movement.  
With a sunken head and careful steps, he walked to a little mirror that was close by, ripping away the sheet that was covering it. He needed to focus and concentrate for a second before he slowly closed his eyes and touched the mirror.

A wave of shock seemed to rush through his body as it started to tremble lightly, Raw breathing in deeply. As the shaking stopped the blurry images that were now showing in the mirror came to an abrupt halt and formed clear moving pictures.

They were showing Ozma and little D.G. lying on the bed that they were now facing with their backs. The Queen was singing softly, while D.G. was slowly falling asleep. It was a happy sight and for a moment Cain relaxed when he saw his old friend and her child in such peace. However he was completely shaken when Glitch raised his voice.

“Wait that is you! I knew you too!” He suddenly exclaimed which took all of Cain's breath. What was that all about and where did it come from out of a sudden?

“What do you mean you knew her too?” Cain asked completely aghast as the Scarecrow was smiling like crazy like he had just announced them that he was getting married.  
Confusion showed on the creatures face as he turned around and observed Cain for a moment.

“What are you talking about?” He asked suspiciously, the stitches now forming a straight line on his face, the joy vanished from his voice, the smile gone.

“You just said that you knew D.G. as a child!” Cain exclaimed half in anger half in anticipation.

“Did I? Must have been a glitch, how should I have known D.G. as a child?” Glitch blinked it away as if it was nothing, leaving Cain with only the anger.

He tried to brush it off as D.G. asked them to be silent since she wanted to watch the memory but the words and the strange behavior of their companion wouldn't leave his mind. Maybe the pictures would bring some answers or even encourage more glitches.

After a kiss and some warm words the Queen left the room, only to leave an opportunity for little Azkadellia to walk into the room, reciting an ancient tale of two sisters who had been the rulers of darkness and light or was it a prophecy of the future?

Even though it was just the picture of the past, it seemed like the coldness hovering around the young girl could reach through the mirror and grab for them. It was a horrifying feeling that not only disturbed Raw, D.G. and Cain could now feel it as well. Showing no mercy and with a cruelness that was as sharp as knives she attacked her little sister with her dark magic, strangling the little girl until no breath was left in her.

D.G. flinched at the sight of her own death, taking some steps back and staring at the mirror in disbelief. She had realized and exclaimed that Azkadellia was her sister which only made it harder for her to believe what she had just witnessed and what had become of her own sister.

“She tried to kill me," she said with wide eyes.

A lump formed in Cain’s throat at that exclamation. If only she was right and Azkadellia had only tried to kill her. Maybe things had been different then.

“ No …she did kill you," he said with sadness in his voice. Now D.G was completely confused and shocked, looking at her hand and shaking her head as if to prove to herself that she was alive and breathing.

“But that can’t be!" she murmured almost hysterically.  
Cain wanted to answer but the memory answered D.G.’s question all on its own. The Queen returned to the chamber as if she had forgotten something, watching after her eldest daughter suspiciously.   
As she walked closer to the bed she realized that D.G. wasn’t breathing anymore so without losing time she rushed to her daughter’s side.

“I'm so sorry I didn’t protect you. I never thought...," she cried in desperation.

Utter shock, confusion and guilt were written on her face accompanied by her tears as she touched the skin of her daughter's face. She pressed her own forehead onto D.G.’s before suddenly a soft beam of light (pure magic) left her lips as she resurrected her youngest daughter with her magic. Her hair went grey in the process which explained to Cain why the Queen had looked so different and drenched that evening. Not only had she almost lost her daughter , she had also given most of her light to the little princess.

“Oh my angel. There is one thing that can stop her, the emerald of the eclipse…," she started to whisper.

They couldn’t understand what she was saying after her voice got lower but nevertheless they stared at the mirror in awe, fascinated by the devoted love of a mother.

“The secret to find the emerald now lives inside of you. When the time is right you will return,"   
Ozma continued, her voice breaking more and more with each word. It was a strong burden she had laid on her daughter but she was carrying half of it at that very moment.  
D.G.’s face showed that she was feeling devoted respect at this very moment, but all of them froze as they suddenly heard footsteps approaching from behind, a dark voice speaking to their backs. They turned around slowly and when they put a gaze on the intruders a cold shiver ran down Cain’s spine.

“Mother never could leave well enough alone.”

Azkadellia had finally found them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: I honestly don’t know what to say about this chapter. It’s more like a filler in order to introduce Glitch’s changes along with D.G’s discoveries. This is part of the process I’ve planned for Glitch and I’m sorry if this one is kind of boring. Also more thoughts of Cain , yay ^^ Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it . More next Saturday .


	16. The wagon

A feisty wind mixed with ruthless white snowflakes was fighting its way through the Northern Territories where their-well DeMilo’s –bright yellow ‘bad joke’ of a wagon was still resting with a broken axis. The crazy colors and eye catching design on the plain white surface made them an easy victim to the criminals that were stupid (or desperate) enough to hunt so far up North but Glitch didn’t care for criminals, nor the cold.

All he was concerned about was the condition of the former Tin Man who was lying out cold and stiff underneath a thick layer of dirty blankets. He had found the man at the shore of the frozen lake after Azkadellia’s attack and although he couldn’t feel the coldness himself he knew the signs of hypothermia. More importantly he knew that it was a great danger to the life of his new friend. Somehow he had managed to find the ugly vehicle and although he didn’t want to wrap the man into the disgusting looking blankets he had done anything he could do to keep the man warm and restore him to a normal healthier temperature.

Thinking was a strange thing. Everyone who had met him was surprised to see that he as a thing ...something artificial and non human was able to talk, walk and think and at this very moment he didn’t blame them. He had always believed that he was magical, that he had been human before and that the sorceress had cursed him so it seemed only fair that he was able to do things that human did every day. However it surprised him as much as this strangers when he noticed this ‘human trademarks’.

Not only had he remembered that Azkadellia had attacked him, he also knew what hypothermia was and right now after seeing Wyatt Cain naked he noticed something else that a creature like him wasn’t supposed to do .

In order to keep him warm he had needed to undress Cain and with fascination he had observed the man’s naked skin and body. He wanted to exchange the wet coat and trousers with a warm looking set of pajamas that he had found in the wagon, but instead he was mesmerized by the unknown sight and something inside of him felt strange. He knew that it simply couldn’t be there and at that moment he blamed it on the dark magic inside his straw body but he had noticed this occurrence before ...this feeling. It had happened when he first saw the man, there was something about Cain that influenced his thinking and had an impact on his whole being.

Back were the many situations in which someone had called him an anomaly …something that wasn’t supposed to be living and once again he asked himself what had happened to him in the past, how much of his own theories were true, how it he was able to develop feelings and how it was possible that he had something like thoughts but without any context.  
He had something of an independent mind and own thoughts but his possibility to memorize things and keep them in his head was proving difficult, nevertheless this didn’t mean that he wasn’t able to make up his own mind wasn’t it? The Northern Island, the palace and all its surroundings felt similar to him and for the first time he had had a feeling that he could remember something. He had been able to tell D.G. that she was the little girl in the mirror and he was sure that he had seen the woman with the Lavender eyes before too. It were only mere little things but they concerned him.  
When he saw the pale white skin, the bulky chest, the birthmark on the bottom of his right arm and the movement of Cain’s raising chest that made the muscles underneath his skin play, he was motivated to say that it looked lovely and that it caused him to experience something unknown to him. A tingling feeling in his chest and underwear department. Maybe even more than that but defining this unknown power over his mind wasn’t important right now.  
He would try to talk about it with someone once everything was over and in case he was able to keep it in mind.  
O.O.o.O.o.o.o.

Hours passed until Cain looked warm and cozy and until Glitch was a hundred percent satisfied with his condition. The little heater in the wagon was providing a fire that looked like it was warm enough and once he would go and fetch new wood for the hungry flames they were safe for the night.  
“I shouldn’t get to close to the fire though," he reminded himself before he made sure that Cain was still deep asleep so that he wouldn’t notice his absence. It was as strange as his emotions but he honestly cared for the man and he didn’t mean to scare him or leave him alone in the wilderness for long.  
As he heard the low snorting and breathing sounds of Cain he touched the man’s forehead with his gloved hand before he left into the snowstorm outside.

“Relax old grumpy cat, I’ll be back with new wood soon.”

O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.  
Zero was laughing in his face while he stroked back his hair in a slick manner and grabbed the gun that was lying on the floor.

“No Iron suit for you this time," he heard the man say before he pointed the gun at Cain.

He was bleeding, his face was aching and he was ready for a quick death. However he didn’t expect Zero to say that his wife and Jeb were still alive and so he heard himself ask this very question.  
They had survived, there was a chance for him to find happiness. He had to find D.G. and the rest and they would stop the witch and find his family.

“My family is alive...My family is alive," he kept repeating in ecstasy before Zero destroyed all his hope by pulling the trigger. He saw himself bursting through the huge window of the Northern Palace and slowly making his way down and down.

This was the moment when he awoke with sweat on his forehead and his gun pointing into an unknown direction. He was lying underneath blankets and his breathing was heavy and unsteady. He didn’t know how it was possible that his gun was lying by his side and he couldn’t tell if it was a reflex or if he thought that Zero was there but the knowledge that he was in the possession of a gun soothed his nerves.

He could feel that the gun was pushed away by a gloved hand and when he felt the coldness from outside he didn’t only know that he had survived the fall but also that he wasn’t alone and that someone (even if it wasn’t Zero) was with him. He could tell that it was Glitch before he saw him and more of his fear and nervousness vanished for the moment.

“You’ve been sleeping for hours like a baby with its pacifier.” The Scarecrow tried to make a joke while it/he came walking in and placed an armful of wood in front of a little stove.

“I thought you were dead," he mumbled in return although he didn’t really know how to kill a Scarecrow. Azkadellia surely would have found a way and even though he didn’t like to admit it: the thought had scared him.

Glitch turned around and faced Cain with something like pity on his face before he replied with a silent and drenched, ‘Ditto’.

“You know I may have saved you from hypothermia but uh ... this is what saved your life." And as he was starting to ask himself how it was possible to survive a fall AND a gunshot into the chest, Glitch held a familiar wooden horse in front of his eyes.

“It stopped the bullet.”

The carved horse, the toy he had made for little Jeb. A bullet was sticking in one side and it didn’t need a genius to tell that the toy in his chest pocket had saved his life. He sent a silent thanks to his son and now that he knew that his family was alive he even allowed himself to get teary eyes and hope for a reunion. Realization hit him hard though since neither D.G. nor Raw were at Glitch's side and there was only a tiny chance that they weren’t in Azkadellia’s capture.

“D.G.?” No emotions , he wouldn’t allow his voice to show any emotions.

“Azkadellia." Compared to him the Scarecrow didn’t care to show his feelings, which reminded Cain that he had to ask the creature how it was even possible that it/he cared.

“Raw?” But now it was time for business.

“Uh I don’t know. I can’t find him. Either they took him too or he is dead...," Glitch started but was interrupted by Cain.

“Maybe he ran away," He said in a spicy sarcastic manner and was scolded for it by the man sitting beside him.

“You know you really should do something about this bitter cynicism of yours, Cain.” It was amazing how the rag doll could even know what cynicism was and that they were honestly leading this conversation that he was willing to turn into a discussion.

“Why? Somebody needs to keep your wide-eyed optimism in check," he mocked his companion but when he heard the other one banging down one piece of the wood on the stack he knew that he had gone too far. He had to thank the man who had saved his life, it was only fair.

“Hey Glitch?”

“What?”

“I owe you one,” and he was more than surprised to see the stitches on his face form a laugh.

“You know Cain, professional psychiatric therapy is only a crow's call away these days. I think a man like you with your issues of masculinity or like we call it the boy scout syndrome…," he heard Glitch ramble off.  
O.O.O.o.O.O.O.  
The snow storm outside was getting worse and with the forces of nature being against them they were forced to spend another night in the wagon.

Cain wasn't pleased. D.G. was somewhere with Azkadellia, the key to their victory, the savior of the OZ, anything could have happened to her and all he could do was lie in a ridiculously painted van and talk to an animated Scarecrow.  
Glitch had stopped his lecture about psychiatric therapy and issues of masculinity hours ago and now the stitched man was sitting against the opposite wall of their prison and starring endlessly into the darkness around them.

At this very moment of silence, something Cain was really fond of, a familiar thought came to the Tin Man’s mind and although he hated to interrupt the serenity that surely wouldn’t come back again (not with Glitch in his company) he had to ask something that was haunting his mind for quite a while now.

Glitch was developing trademarks that weren’t only unusual for a creature like him, but also for any other person Cain had met since the witch. He had a feeling that the Scarecrow was more than he himself even knew of and he had to find out if his suspicions were true.

He had noticed it earlier on their journey and especially during their time in the Northern Palace. His devotion to the task to find D.G.’s answers and save the O.Z had stopped him from willing these thoughts to dominate but now that they had no other opportunity than to wait he was getting more and more curious about the meaning behind all this.

“Glitch, you awake?” He threw into the silence and suspiciously waited for an answer.

“I’m a Scarecrow, Cain," Glitch responded in such a serious yet weird manner that Cain had to stifle a laugh. A feeling was building up that he hadn’t felt for what seemed like an eternity and this was something he had noticed as well. Glitch made him happy.

“I know sorry ...well actually this is what I wanted to talk about with you," he stammered, trying to ignore the light feeling around his heart. This was business in some way and nothing else.

“That I am a Scarecrow, you really want to talk about that?” His companion asked in return and he could feel that Glitch was now playing the dumb one on purpose.

“I think you know what I mean. Listen we have all noticed that you’re not what other people may call a normal or random Scarecrow ...you’re not hanging in a corn field and you’re neither mute, nor deaf...or immobile. In addition to that I have noticed that you seem to remember things and act in a certain way now I'm wondering myself how this is possible and I'm sure you do too.” He really hoped that he would get the Scarecrow to talk without risking him to get caught in another loop which at this moment would be more annoying than ever.

“I act in a certain way? What do you mean by that?” He was asked.

“Well you care, you showed signs of fear when we encountered Azkadellia. You harrumph a lot , maybe not one of the best changes, you show pity and sympathy and you state your own opinion ...different things ...stuff like that," Cain returned and the Scarecrow remained silent for a long time after that.Before Cain was able to break the silence again, Glitch finally answered.

“You're right…something is different but I can’t tell you what it is. I wanted to talk about it with one of you but I wanted to wait until we had settled things, if you know what I mean. I’m …having...those feelings that I can’t explain and I know that I shouldn’t be able to do so but then again I shouldn’t be animated at all and maybe it’s the magic inside me.” Cain nodded to that and Glitch went on.

“I think …maybe I have been human before...maybe I even have a past since I recall stuff that doesn’t fit into the time I have spent like this. There are balls and lots of paper work , music and the smell of hay...Maybe I had a brain and maybe there was blood flowing through my body ...maybe this magic that keeps me animated somehow influences my whole being and enables me to think, talk and ...well, feel too. Maybe my memories are connected with this journey ...connected to you guys and maybe I will find some answers too. I really can’t tell you but that’s what I’ve been thinking so far. The name Glitch came to mind when I observed a conversation of two old munchkins about their motored harvester. They said that the old thing would constantly glitch and start from the beginning again. I had a feeling that it described my own situation very neatly that’s why I stuck to it.” When Glitch had ended he was satisfied with himself and relieved that he had finally shared his thoughts with somebody else ...it relieved him even more that he had been able to share his thoughts with Cain, since he believed that the Tin Man was very practical and pragmatic about things and might be able to help him effortlessly, however when he squinted his bottom eyes to see in the dark he could see that Cain’s face was white like a sheet and his expression was unreadable.

“Cain wha..," he wanted to ask but Cain interrupted him.

“Are you sure that you remember balls and lots of paperwork and ...and the smell of hay?” The man asked with a distant voice.

Glitch was confused that Cain was more interested in those flickers of thoughts but maybe he only wanted to help him to unravel those riddles at first.

“Yeah, pretty sure but why do you think do I have them?” He asked on and there were hints of hope in his voice.

“I don’t know I’m sorry ...for a moment I thought I heard about something like this before but I don’t. You might be right, maybe you have a past as human and I promise you that we will find out but first we will have to save D.G. and Raw.” And with that he suddenly interrupted their conversation before it could get the chance to turn into a serious discussion.

Now Glitch was even more confused but Cain told him that he was getting tired and that he needed all his strength for the next day. This was something that Glitch understood so he didn’t ask any further questions, but he secretly hoped that Cain was right and that they would find some answers soon.  
O.O.o.O.o.O.

Much much later, Cain was still awake and haunted by Glitch’s words. More than once he would stare at his companion sitting in the darkness. He would study his body, those bottom eyes and this stitched mouth, he would study the clothes that belonged to the royal garb and everything in his head was turning.  
Could it be that he wasn’t making this up? But how? And why after all these years?  
What Glitch described, those feelings he was showing, his behavior at the Northern Palace and the things he had said there they all formed a big puzzle which led to one answer.  
But could it be true?

“That is you! I knew you too!” “ Cain you have to leave I can manage this myself your family needs you”

All Cain could dream and think about this night were brown eyes, pale skin and an undeniable unforgettable laugh.

Had he found Ambrose?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: This time there is a focus on Glitch ^^ What I always wanted to say about Glitch is that it is damn hard to write this guy in character!! The thing is ..there are moments where he glitches pretty hard as we all know but all in all I think he has a lot of sane moments throughout the series and that’s what makes it so hard. Sometimes I tend to forget that he only has half a brain because I enjoy writing about his feelings and thoughts without really considering if he is able to memorize this or that. I think the same happened in this chapter but I wanted him to question this unknown emotions since he should show signs of change. D.G and the journey is supposed to have an influence on him and open him up to feelings that were ripped away from him. I hope I found a plausible explanation for his sudden ability to feel and remember things and I’m sorry if people don’t like that I use magic as a solution for everything but that’s what I personally like about magic ..that it has its limits but that it gives hope. Also yes I know it might be strange that Cain starts to assume that Glitch might be Ambrose because of balls and the smell of hay…my explanation in order to defend myself?? It’s the little things that matter and Cain simply follows his instincts XD Thank you for reading! More on Wednesday .  
> PS: What I forgot to say is that I love the scene in the wagon since it probably is one of the most obvious Glitch/Cain moments of the series and I apologize for not making it very romantic .


	17. The Story of a Scarecrow

Time stood still. Was it day or night? Summer or winter? He didn’t know. For him time stood still and all he knew was that they had lost. There was no hope left for them so it didn’t matter if he would die in the morning or evening, in summer or winter.

He would die this day that was for sure, but against all odds he didn’t feel any fear or regret. The long days...weeks...maybe months of his imprisonment had been torture for both his body and mind and each passing day seemed to have reminded him of his downfall, of the death of light which was one of the reasons why he was now lying in darkness.

He had warned her of the betrayal of her generals, informed her of the burnt and destroyed blue prints and had told her of his hope that they could still succeed. He had been very optimistic that day – she hadn’t – and his sister proved to be right with her suspicion, for mere seconds later Azkadellia had stormed the gardens with her Longcoats and they had carried him away to the prisons, while the Sorceress seemed to have other much crueler plans for his sister.

The witch inside her had promised him something that day. That she would reach into his mind and take what she needed. And now after weeks of torture and darkness he could feel that they had decided to come for him, that the witch couldn’t wait any longer. They would do whatever the wicked creature inside little Az instructed them to do.

He was a broken man and this day was the day of his death.

O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

As he had assumed they came for him at what felt to him like midday. It was three of them, and besides their hollow eyes and bulky threatening faces, they looked rather amused about his misery.

And who could blame them? He must have looked like he felt: dirty, drenched, unshaven with greasy hair and ripped clothes here and there. Nothing like the duke or advisor he was supposed to be. Not like the man he was before.

They wanted to lift him up but he wouldn’t let them, maybe he had lost his position but he hadn’t lost all of his dignity yet.

“I think standing up on my own still works," he said dryly and faced the intruders, his punishers, with a last bit of protest glistening in his eyes.

“Just trying to prevent you from pulling a last desperate trick," that came from the guy he had long since identified as Rick Zero, the man who in his opinion was responsible for the sudden disappearance of the Cain’s.

“Wouldn't want to upset the Sorceress at times like these, would be really foolish of me wouldn’t it? And I ain’t no fool," he answered sarcastically and wondered if the Longcoats really saw him as a threat. Maybe there was a chance to escape after all.

“Believe me you can’t imagine what Azkadellia is able to do, not even in your worst nightmares," Zero replied and there was no warmth, no pity or sympathy in his voice.

After they had chained him they pulled a dirty sack over his head and he was greeted by darkness again.

O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.

He felt her presence before he saw her. The sack over his head blocked his view, but the pure wickedness, hatred and darkness that was hovering in the room made it unnecessary to see. Within seconds his heart felt cold, stony but full of fear and his mind was clouded by contradictory thoughts of suicide and escape.

“Do you remember what I promised you six months ago?” The snarling sound of her voice that seemed to drop out of her mouth like black tar, made him shiver. Six months, so he had been locked up for six months, it had felt much longer.

He didn’t respond not until her minions would remove the sack.

“Did you hear what I said?" she spat after he didn't answer.

“Remove the sack first!” He said dryly.

She seemed to consider his wish for a couple of seconds before his head was released from the cotton and his world was flooded by the unusual brightness of the room and an indefinable scent.

“Now tell me ... advisor... do you remember what I promised you?”

O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O..O.o.

“I get that you want something from me, that there is something in my head that seems to be precious to you, I just don’t get why you locked me up for such a long time. Why bother with me if you could have killed me all those months ago in the gardens?” He gained new strength as the influence of the witch’s power was slowly wearing off and he felt the urge to lead a last discussion with his enemy before he was willing to end his life for his beliefs.

“Power, my dear friend, it is all about power and torture. You're right, I didn’t need those six months to prepare the thing I need your dear brain for. Time, however, can either be your friend or your cruelest enemy and I wanted to see what time does to you. Looks like I got the crumbly mess that I wanted. Such a long time I have waited to see your line suffer. For centuries I was locked up in that cave, locked up by your ancestors and time was my only company... Bringing darkness to the O.Z. is only half the pleasure, seeing you go mad, seeing how you suffer like I had to is far more delightful.” Within the blink of an eye she crossed the room and suddenly stood in front of him.

Her pale hand touched the hairy skin of his chin, it was a cold touch and those hollow brown eyes tried to get right into his soul.

“It wasn't my ancestors who locked you away and you’re more than aware of that," he answered through gritted teeth. He wanted to get answers about certain things but he didn’t like to be treated like a puppet. Her eyes went cold and darker when he was finished and her touch suddenly turned hot like fire.

“BUT IT WAS YOUR ANCESTORS WHO KEPT ME LOCKED UP! IT WAS YOUR FAMILY’S IGNORANCE THAT BOUND ME TO THAT PLACE AND YOU WILL PAY FOR IT!” she shouted at him furiously until his face must have lost all color.

The Longcoats were shifting uneasily in the back of the room and Ambrose didn’t blame them.

“So why do you chose Azkadellia, why now? You could have called for someone much earlier, instead you were willing to rot in that cave for centuries.” He would die no matter what he tried to remind himself, there was no use in pleasing her. No, angry or not she would take his brain.

“Your beloved niece is strong, she always has been. Do you remember the old prophecy? The one that your parents taught you? Now is the right time, the time for darkness to conquer the light. The time for the eclipse to arise is almost here. Only a couple of more annuals to wait and I will get my victory. It’s her destiny," she ended in a wicked laugh that turned Ambrose's blood cold.

The majestic Queen of the O.Z  
had two lovely daughters she.  
One to darkness she be drawn  
and one to light she be shown.  
Double eclipse it is foreseen  
Light meets dark and the sisters between  
But only one and one alone  
shall hold the emerald  
and take the throne.  
Only one and one alone.

“You want my sunseeder to lock up the suns behind the moon and bring darkness to this world?” The thought alone made him feel sick but knowing that his mind would be part of this wicked plan made him want to gather all his remaining resources and flee from the place. He had assumed a lot when she has looked for the plans but nothing as horrible as this.

“Oh I see this is why they used to call you the smartest man in all of the O.Z.”

Without being fully aware of it his feet carried him backwards, while the rest of his body obeyed and followed its guidance. The witch being no fool, though, noticed his pathetic try in an instant and kept him in place with a spell.

More than ever he wished that he had learned how to use that little bit of magic that was inside of him although it wouldn’t help him in this situation.

“You stupid fool, you know that your time has come but nevertheless you are still sticking to your stubbornness... still trying to save this stinking piece of land. I have to disappoint you though. This land is MINE now and you will help me to rule if you want to or not. Zero, Lonot take him to the alchemist... no prison this time.” There was no mercy in her eyes and her invisible grip got stronger.

He could have fought all he wanted, he was doomed and no one would help him now.

“You can fight her. I know that you’re still somewhere inside this body. You have to stop her AZ!” He screamed but his words were muffled by the sweaty hand of Zero.

All he could hope for, all that the whole O.Z. could hope for was that Az would fight the witch and that one day D.G. would save them.

O.o:o.O.o.O.O.O.o.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.

“Remove the brain slowly." The alchemist was lurking over him like a vision from a bad dream, like the witch’s his eyes showed no mercy and although he wouldn’t have thought that it was possible, he felt fear.

“No please, please don’t do this. Please ... please, it won’t work... please." She should have killed him in the first place, no mercy, no prison, just a dagger in his heart, a bullet in his chest... something that would have killed him directly. This... this was humiliation, there was no hope for him, but instead of dying with dignity he was making a fool out of himself. Yet he couldn’t stop to plead.

“Count back from 100." The countdown till it would all end.

“Please, please." Maybe it wasn’t too late yet?

“99....”

“Please don’t... don’t do this." Or was it?

“98…," the voice became distant.

“97…." the world around him disappearing into a blur.

“96...." His breathing got slower, it seemed like he couldn’t feel his heart any longer and then this all too familiar DARKNESS wrapped him up.

0.O.O:O:O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O

She was standing in the middle of a cornfield, the sun was shining brightly and felt warm and cozy on her skin. She was wearing the blue dress that her mother loved so much and that would make her smile whenever she looked into the mirror. 

Underneath, though, she was wearing a pair of pants and a T-Shirt, once they were safe she would change somewhere.

Ambrose had promised her that he would teach her how to ride today. He had told her to hide in the cornfield so that the servants wouldn’t find her. They had sneaked away from the palace because it was the only way to teach her in private, on a meadow outside the city walls. 

It was unlike her Uncle to break the rules, but he had seen that she wasn’t feeling good lately and it broke his heart to see her sad. He knew that it was her greatest wish to learn how to really ride a horse, how to melt with it into one being, not one of those lessons where she would learn how to ride like a real lady.

He would come and get her out of the cornfield and together they would be free like the wind.

o.o.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.O.O.O

“Love is weakness…you …will...forever remain weak if you let memories like this poison your heart. I can help you to stay strong …I can prevent you from this weakness ...you only have to allow me to take full control," the voice inside her head snarled.

“NO!” The witch was getting stronger, it didn’t need much more time and she would get the control she was speaking of. 

Azkadellia could feel that she was slowly fading into the background and that she could no longer stop the witch from hurting everyone around her.

“They have finished their task you know? Hours ago. They opened that pretty, smart head of his and grabbed all they could get. Won’t be long until his organs refuse to work …until his heart will stop beating. We could finish it now or wait until he has choked on his own drool," the ignorance and coldness that followed those words felt like she was walking over broken glass.

Ambrose had been one of the few family members she still had had control over. Months she had fought, pleaded and discussed with the witch to save him yet the old woman had gotten tired of their conversations and finally put her plans into action.

The brain was a precious organ, while the heart was for emotions, the brain kept the memories and what the witch wanted were the plans. They only needed half of the brain, the part that stored those memories, however, it was nearly impossible that her beloved Uncle would survive with only half a brain. It could be possible, but the witch surely wouldn’t take the risk. Deep down in her invisible prison she could hear the witch calling for their special prisoner. Like in so many situations before she tried to stop her body from forming the words, from letting those terrible things leave her lips, but once again she had to observe that she didn’t have much control over her own body anymore.

Minutes passed until two Longcoats carried in the messy remains of the man that used to be her Uncle. He was wearing the sack again and after a move of her hand the Longcoats revealed what was underneath.

They had stitched up his head in an unprofessional way, something looking like a zipper parting his brown curls that were covered in blood. He seemed to be awake, yet not really there, for his eyes were glassy and his gaze wasn’t addressed at someone in particular. He looked paler than even after the six months of prison, and he had dark rings under his eyes. It broke her heart when she saw that he tried to speak but only mumbled nonsense left his lips.

They had destroyed him. First they had broken him, now they had killed him although he was still alive. The inattentive gaze quickly turned into a helpless struggle to find out where he was and maybe even who he was.

It was too hard to see him like this, she couldn’t handle it, and all she wished for was that the witch would finally turn away from the sight but that monster was enjoying the view far too much.

“Look who we have here. Not so feisty anymore are we, Ambrose?” The witch addressed her Uncle and she could see that the man was silently repeating the name as if he was trying to find out who that Ambrose was.

“What have you done to him?” She asked in rage and for a moment it felt like she could take control.

“I only gave him what he deserved in order to give us what we need!” the witch returned icily, killing Azkadellia’s hope that she was in power now.

“There is no WE.”

“Oh believe me soon enough you will realize that it has its advantages to be a sorceress. You will learn to embrace me and you will learn to love your new power. The brutal conviction behind these words scared her even more and she secretly hoped that they would never come true.

“He won’t survive this, he doesn’t even seem to know who he is. You can’t just send him away like this," Azkadellia pleaded.

“I won’t do that my love, you’re right he doesn’t deserve such a fate." for a moment Az was relieved until she realized what the witch was saying.

“That’s why WE will kill him now," she finished and everything inside of Azkadellia’s consciousness, the part that still belonged to her went cold.

Again she had to watch the heart breaking image of her Uncle crouching on the floor, touching his head in disbelief and watching his hands as if they didn’t belong to him.

For a moment, a very short moment that made her hate herself even more, she thought that it might be best to kill him and stop the suffering. Luckily this thought was rapidly replaced by her plan to save him. Her gaze fell upon the sack on the floor and she got an idea.

“You can’t kill something that isn’t human," her consciousness whispered.

It was so simple but would she have enough courage to curse her own Uncle in order to save his life? There was a spell, a spell closely connected to her own family and she knew that it would work. Many times she and Ambrose had talked about the ancient times of OZ and about the victorious adventures of Dorothy and her friends. It had connected them and the thought caused a warm feeling to build up in the parts she could control.

However, it was part of the darkest magic she had to use and it would leave her Uncle as something so different that it could drive him mad, half a brain or not. It wasn’t fair to let him die, but was it fair to let him live like that either?

He wouldn’t be in pain anymore and maybe she would find a way to restore him to his old glory again ... maybe ...yes, maybe someone would free her from the witch one day and she could save him.

Her thoughts were twisted. She knew that it was hopeless to wait for someone to kill the witch, but the thought that her Uncle was about to die ripped her heart apart. She needed to do something NOW, there was no time to think about the consequences, otherwise this would be the end of Ambrose.

Suddenly her Uncle winced in pain and a thin line of blood left his mouth before his eyes rolled into his head and a last gurgling sound left his lips.

He was just unconscious but for Azkadellia it was the trigger that let her act without thinking. Concentrating on this strong will to save her relative she gained the control she needed without any effort the ancient words left her lips.

Eleka nahmen nahmen  
Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen  
Eleka nahmen nahmen  
Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen

Smoke hovered over the marbled floor, lightening left the far horizon outside the palace. The air inside seemed to get thicker, dripping with the black magic she was using. All of it engulfed Ambrose and started to work on his body.

Let his flesh not be torn  
Let his blood leave no stain  
When they beat him  
Let him feel no pain  
Let his bones never break  
And however they try  
To destroy him  
Let him never die:  
Let him never die:

Skin was replaced by burlap, blood and flesh by straw, pain by numbness and the slower beating heart wouldn’t be needed anymore. He would be indestructible and eternal. He would lead a life and he would make new friends.

But at what cost?

Eleka nahmen nahmen  
Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen  
Eleka nahmen nahmen  
Ah tum ah tum eleka: eleka:

When the last line was spoken and the last of the smoke vanished, the spell was finished and the curse was sealed. Hopefully not forever.

Azkadellia felt like she couldn’t breathe any longer, her arms were aching and her head felt dizzy, she had lost all control again and soon she would vanish into the deepest corner of her body again.

With the light that returned, not only did they get a good glimpse of Ambrose, but also the witch returned and with her the realization about what she just had done to her Uncle.

“What have you done?” she heard the witch ask furiously. She herself didn’t know what just happened and in disbelief she stared at her hands and then at the creature that used to be Ambrose.

Fear filled her heart and mind and although she was sharing her body with the witch a single tear rolled down her cheek.

“What have I done?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: All right so this is how Ambrose became a scarecrow …I hope it is reasonable enough for you ;) Of course I believe that he could have lived without his whole brain like he did in the series but I wanted to give it that twist and so I made it where Azkadellia doubts that his body would survive such a loss so I combined it a bit with Wicked . To all of you who haven’t noticed it the lyrics are from the song ‘No Good Deed’ from Wicked the Musical one of my favorite musicals ever. They aren’t mine and I don’t claim any right , they belong to their owners. Thank you for reading , I hope you enjoyed it. More on Saturday.  
> PS: Also sorry for messing up the prophecy. I lisented to it several times but I couldn't make out what she was saying ...because I'm not a native speaker..and I suck at this XD  
> Oh and yes I know that the witch ordered her men to bring him to the alchemist after the scene in the garden but I made it where she changed her mind after Azkadellia wouldn't stop pleading.


	18. The Cabin

Ralph Cohan and his wife Lorraine were members of the Resistance, like Cain used to be. Although they were broken like most of the members of the Resistance, they were honest and generous people who had given their trust once Cain had cited the secret oath of the Resistant Fighters.

Fighting Longcoats and freeing D.G. and Raw had been easier in the company of Glitch than he had assumed. And once more the straw man had left him speechless. Now they were on their way to find the Emerald of the Eclipse and had gained a new member, who according to D.G., was her old tutor, but Cain knew that guy and he had never really liked him.

Now, however, they were all sitting around a filled table in a dark cabin in the woods and if you looked at all of them you wouldn’t assume that Cain was suspicious about the pooch. 

Ralph was just telling them rumors from a resistant fighter (something drawing Cain’s attention back to the memory of his son and wife who were still alive) about the workers in the mines and when he mentioned a line in the Black Mountains it, this time, caught both his and Glitch’s attention.

“Morotanium, big M, little T, number 216 in the Ozian periodic table," Glitch whispered to himself before he looked at the others, resembling surprise. Neither he nor the others could tell where that flicker of information had come from.

For a long time, after the night in DeMilo’s wagon, Cain had thought about his suspicions. Hours he had observed Glitch, searching for familiar trademarks and characteristics, but soon he had realized that it was foolish to hope that the Scarecrow was his old friend Ambrose so he had abandoned that thought again.

Now, though, it surprised him that Glitch reacted and that he seemed to know something about Morontanium, an element that Ambrose could talk about on ends. Was there a flicker of his old friend again or was he secretly wishing it to be true so hard that he couldn’t differentiate between the two anymore?

Whatever it was he had to shake it off, there was no time to lose and they needed answers.

“Morotanium, what’s it for?” D.G. asked and for a moment Cain thought that Glitch would answer but he didn’t.

“Besides its strength Morotanium is valued for its ability to conduct magical energy," Cain jumped in instead, which earned him a surprised look from his friends.

“What? Am I not allowed to know some physics? Your Uncle was obsessed with Morotanium and he told me about it," he said as the group kept staring at him.

“Ambrose Gale, of course! People in the Resistance are saying that he changed allegiances and that he is now working for the sorceress!” Ralph exclaimed and Cain’s blood froze when Glitch jumped up in protest.

“That’s ridiculous why should the duke do that? I heard that he is a loyal and wise man, I doubt that he would ever betray his sister," he returned in rage and sat down again with a loud thump and arms crossed.

Glitch was right it was ridiculous, no matter how much the sorceress might have tortured him. Ambrose had a strong will and a stubborn mind, he would never sell his ideas and work for Azkadellia. But what had happened to his friend then? 

Cain had found out that no one had heard of him in ages and Ralph wasn’t the only one who believed that the Duke was now working for Azkadellia.

More than the Resistance fighters bloomy theory though, he was confused by Glitch’s actions again and once more his old suspicions returned. Who was that man?

As much as he wanted to believe that Ambrose wasn’t working for the Sorceress, still alive and maybe an animated Scarecrow now, he remembered a conversation with Ambrose that wouldn’t want to leave his mind and that maybe could support Ralph’s theory.

“I agree with Glitch, Ambrose and I have been friends for centuries and I can’t imagine that he would do something like that. However, I knew that he was planning to built a machine that needed Morotanium to work," Cain said with sadness in his voice which even got stronger when he glanced at Glitch.

“So if she gets hold of the Emerald and uses this machine, she could focus the power however she wants?” D.G. asked in real shock looking at her tutor.

“Not if we get it first," the pooch answered reassuringly.

“Well, I'm not sure. He said it’s a sun seeder but I can’t remember what it was supposed to do," Cain said, helpless.

“We don’t have time for this Cain, we need to know." D.G. touched his arm and suddenly glanced to Raw. Cain looked at Glitch who didn’t move one inch of his burlap face since he still seemed to be upset, and when Cain looked into those pleading blue eyes he knew what D.G. was going to ask of him

“Okay kiddo, but I’m not sure if our fur ball here will find something useful in that head of mine.”

O.o.O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.o.O.o.O.o.o

The group watched Raw as he was preparing for the viewing session by doing some relaxing exercises and searching for the right aura. Cain was seated in an old armchair and Raw would show them his memories through a mirror that was hanging over a small fireplace. Candles were spending soft light in the darkness and as Raw raised from his place close to the armchair Cain got a little nervous.

What would they see? The conversation about the sunseeder with Ambrose , or something completely different? Would it help them to continue their journey or would Raw only waste his energy by leading them into the memories of Cain’s past? Whatever the outcome might be Cain wasn’t sure about all this, but when D.G. touched his hand lightly and assured him that they needed whatever they could get, and that Cain’ memories might be the key, he relaxed visibly and offered his head to Raw.

Against all his expectations Raw’s touch wasn’t cold but soft and warm. The searching for the memory itself didn’t hurt at all but when one hand left his head for the mirror and Raw concentrated on a memory of what he called “A dark day”, Cain’s body suddenly felt like it was struck by lightning.

The invasion into his cranium felt like something was cutting his head open like a knife and he closed his eyes in the hope that it would reduce the pain. Little gasps left his lips and he started shaking , however Raw didn’t let go of this one precious memory.

Cain couldn’t hear or feel what was going on around him, but when the pain suddenly ebbed away he had a feeling that his friends were just watching the memory.

All he hoped for was that it would help them.

O.O.O.o.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.o.o.O.O.

Azkadellia was slowly gathering more and more dark forces around her and Ambrose had a suspicion that not only half of the Tin Man division of Central City were on her side now but also most of their most loyal generals, and Azkadellia wasn’t even seventeen yet.

Her powers grew stronger every day and at some point they either had to defend and leave Central City for the Northern Territories or they had to pull up stronger forces against his niece. Ozma refused to let that happen though and he didn’t blame her, there was still hope that they could save their Azkadellia and free her from the darkness. However, his sixth sense tried to convince them that they were risking to lose precious time.

A knock on the door interrupted that last thought and for a moment Ambrose thought that his heart would stop beating. From time to time Azkadellia would pay him unannounced visits, always asking him about his work, never looking him in the eye and never leading any other kind of conversation. He knew that she was searching for something, and now that he was currently working on his sunseeder, he could only hope that she wasn’t standing in front of his laboratory.

“Hey Ambrose, can I come in?” Relief built up in his body and his heart slowed down when he heard the familiar voice that belonged to Cain and with a weak little smile on his face he opened the double doors.

“Sure, Tin Man, you are always welcome here," he greeted his friend, not showing the shock he felt when he saw how worn out Cain was looking. He himself must look the same, but there was something about Cain’s look that concerned him.

He surely was sick with worry because his family was back in Old Creek and he was still here at the Palace , no matter how much Cain would protest, though, Ambrose had planned to do something about it and send him home.

“Are you sure about that? Haven’t seen many Tin Men in your lab before," Cain returned teasingly, which earned him a low laugh from Ambrose.

“You’re right I was kidding, only you are always welcome," the brunette returned, and by now he was an expert in repressing the blush.

“Never mind. What is it that brings you here, Captain?” Ambrose asked as Cain didn’t respond to his little joke.

“Only temporarily, Ambrose. I’m not the right one for that kind of job. The Queen asked me to pay you a visit, she said that you are working too hard to find a way to stop Azkadellia. Now that I'm here I have to say that I agree with her, you look tired," Cain said, concern evident in his voice.

Ambrose shrugged it off with an absent-minded move of his hands before he turned around to his machine again.

“There is no need to worry about me, really I'm fine. Look at yourself first!” he answered waiting patiently for the sigh that soon followed his argument.

“Look, I know that you try to be strong for your sisters, but I’m not dumb Ambrose," Cain countered. So he really wanted to have a discussion then.

“And what difference would it make if I lay down now, huh? If I allow myself to rest? Would that keep her from sneaking into my lab searching for my plans? Would that keep anyone from fearing her next attack? Would that make you realize that you are as stubborn as myself and doing exactly the same thing? Do you have an answer to that Mr. Cain?" his tone was calm for there was no reason to scream or get furious.

Cain rubbed his eyes with his hand before he let out another sigh.

“No," he said, watching his friend who had drawn his attention to the unfinished machine on the table again.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re pushing yourself to the limit. We’re all tired and we all need a rest, so do you." One last attempt to break through that thick skull of his and then he would stop arguing.

“I can’t. She will kill us all if I stop now.” Ambrose's voice was faint but Cain could feel the sadness and fear that was attached to it.

“I’m scared Cain! Scared that my sister won’t be strong enough to....”and with that the tears came back. In that moment the sight of Ambrose reminded Cain so much of the night in front of the Mystic Man’s dressing room that it brought back the old aching pain in his chest. The feeling as if his heart was breaking and slowly crumbling to the floor.

He tried to comfort his friend as he had done all these years ago, but Ambrose pushed away the hand that he wanted to place on his shoulder. With a fast and skilled movement of his hand he wiped away the tears and after a short sniff no sign of the sudden breakdown could be found on his friend's face.

“You know that I’m here for you?” Cain asked and Ambrose nodded lightly.

Silence built up between them. Both of them knowing that the air was thick with guilt and fear and both of them not knowing what to say to comfort each other.

Assuming that Cain understood the message and would leave him alone, Ambrose grabbed for the screwdriver and started to work on the sun-seeder again.

“So what is this machine for, then?” his friend asked, sounding like he was honestly curious about it.

“Well, let’s say this is my definition of ‘resting’. This machine here won’t stop Azkadellia, I’m afraid, but it distracts my mind and I hope that one day it will help the people of the O.Z.," he exclaimed proudly.

Cain had missed that sparkling in his friend’s eyes and although this wasn't the relaxing and resting he had had in mind for him he knew that there was no further arguing with the inventor.

Just as he was about to ask him another question though, their short moment of happiness was interrupted by a loud shaking sound that was too familiar to Cain’s ears to not be an explosion. With a trained movement he tackled the Advisor to the floor and covered his friend's body with his own.

He could hear Ambrose breathing in deeply underneath him and before he would squeeze him to death he decided that it might be safer to get up again.

“What was that for?” Ambrose winced as Cain offered him his outstretched hand.

“That sounded like an explosion. Someone must be attacking the palace. The building could collapse I wanted to protect you," Cain answered flatly, completely being the pragmatic Tin Man he was trained to be.

“Yeah, thanks for that but I think you broke one of my ribs," the brunette winced again as he touched the right side of his ribcage.

“Always told you to eat more!” Cain countered before another explosion caused the floor to shake underneath their feet. 

This time he pushed Ambrose down by his shoulder, paying special attention to the pressure of his grip.

“Stay down, hide underneath the table, you should be safe there for the moment. I will go outside and check the situation.” The Tin Man now whispered to him in a demanding tone which was really unlike his friend. 

Ambrose could feel that the situation was tense, beside that he felt the trembling of Cain’s hand that was trying to push him down and although he had sworn himself to never use his role as a Duke on Cain he would now need to order his friend around.

“No!” Ambrose countered, his face completely blank. Cain had long since released the grip and was now making his way to the door but his friends refusal made him stop dead in his tracks.

“No? Are you crazy Ambrose? Get under that table now someone is attacking the palace!” he yelled at the advisor who had gotten up from the floor and who was now walking towards him.

“I beg your pardon! I believe you are the crazy one here, willingly walking into that trap like you want to commit suicide! You have a family, Cain! They need you! I know you are a Tin Man and I know you have sworn to protect us but as your superior and as your Prince I have to ask you to leave this place through the secret underground system and to not turn around! Go and protect your family," the brunette yelled at him with such force that it almost scared Cain.

“But...you!” the blond protested being interrupted by Ambrose before he could even finish his sentence.

“I can take care of myself. Azkadellia is probably testing how far she can go now. If she is really looking for some of my plans she won’t harm me. Ozma and I will find a solution but this is something that we need to do on our own. So many people have died for us already, I don’t want to have your blood on my fingers as well.” The anger and fury was gone and unconditional guilt replaced it instead.

For a moment Cain wanted to slap Ambrose, to grab his arms and shake him, to do everything to talk some sense into his friend but when he thought about the man’s words he had to admit that he was right.

He couldn’t risk to be killed, he couldn’t allow himself to be so stubborn and leave Adora and Jeb to an unknown fate. Ambrose was his friend but he was a grown man who knew what he was doing and what he was getting himself into so if he wanted to accept it or not.

He had to betray Ambrose in order to save his family.

The guilt that was evident on the brunette’s face now wrapped his heart as well and with a nod of his head and a warm embrace he showed his friend that he was willing to obey his order.

“You’ll take of yourself, won't you?” he whispered before he heard an unexpected laugh from the man in his arms.

“As long as you promise to make it easier for us and finally leave now," Ambrose answered and Cain could hear that he was trying to hold back more tears.

Both now walked to the door in a corner of Ambrose’s study room that led to a secret system of tunnels and corridors underneath the palace. It would lead him into freedom and as both of them hoped it would give him a chance to protect his family.

“One day we will defeat her and that will be the day when we will see each other again!” Cain promised before he looked into Ambrose’s sad face one last time and before the advisor closed the door in front of his face.

“To that day then," he heard him say through the door and without wasting another second Cain turned around and left the place of misery for good.

O.O.o.O.o.o.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.

Without his own notice he had started trembling and shaking again, light suddenly flooding his vision as Raw let go of his head and memory.

For a moment he had to focus and he couldn’t tell where he was. Uncomfortably he shifted in his seat and searched for a clue why he was suddenly surrounded by his friends. Then it came back to him and he stared at the sad faces of the others waiting for them to tell him what they had just seen.

“What? Is Ambrose's machine bad?” he asked, worry fogging his mind.

“No, but whatever it is he surely did everything to stop Azkadellia and to save your life," Glitch responded lowly.

“That’s why he had to let you go," D.G. added and suddenly hugged him tightly as if she knew something that Cain himself wasn’t able to explain.

She was right the memory of losing his friend still haunted Cain, but it had also assured him that Ambrose wasn’t working for Azkadellia and that they would meet again.

“Raw know that Ambrose not working for Azkadellia, could feel loyalty, could feel honesty. Something else running machine," the viewer said to comfort Cain and he was right.

Although there were still a lot of questions to ask and a lot of mysteries to solve all they needed to do now was to find the Emerald and to get D.G. into the palace safe and sound.

If he had enough luck and faith in himself he might even find his friend and keep the promise he had given a long time ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: About this chapter..you might have sensed one of the changes ..yes since no one is supposed to know yet that Glitch is the missing Ambrose I thought it might be a nice idea to take a look at Cain’s memories and at the same time make him deal with some of his suspicions again. Glitch acts the way he does to leave even more clues and I hope that the overall composition of behavior , emotions etc. is plausible and realistic. Thank you for reading , more next Saturday ;)


	19. At the Resistance Camp

Another failure that Cain secretly blamed on him had caused them to be parted from D.G. again. That ruthless fortune telling bitch had guided them into a trap and Cain had walked into it without even getting suspicious once. Now the princess was in the hands of the Seeker and Cain could only hope that his eyes hadn’t fooled him and that the Seeker was Ahamo himself.

Once Airofday had caught him and his companies underneath a net, one of the unwanted had contacted Azkadellia’s Longcoats who shortly afterwards had chained them to a massive wooden trunk. Zero had been the leader of their troop and once again Cain had been washed over with anger and the strong wish to kill Rick Zero.

Now the troops were leading the prisoners through a deserted wood on their way back to the Central City palace where a higher authority would be the judge of their fate.  
Their little group was making good process with getting ahead of the Longcoats when they were suddenly stopped by a cart that blocked the way.

A hooded young man with a bucket of water walked to Zero and asked if they needed any water. As it was common among the dark-hearted men, the Longcoat refused the offer and underlined his anger by kicking the bucket away and sending it to the hard ground. The others watched the humiliation in joy, but before Zero could do more another one of the Longcoats was shot and a group of Resistant Fighters jumped out of their hiding and attacked them.

All happened too soon to progress but as the chained men realized that this was their chance , they regained their hope to escape and attacked their enemies in a perfect synchronization. While the fighters around them were taking care of knocking down the shouting and cursing Longcoats the group of men used the trunk to their advantage and with a picturesque move to the right they sent the first Longcoat flying to the floor who had been shooting one of the attackers.

It was a pleasure for Cain to kick the man in his ugly face before the group focused on another Longcoat that they decided to knock out by pushing him against a tree with the top of the tree trunk. When the second enemy was lying on the ground unconscious, they positioned themselves into their starting position again, waiting for the next chance to be part of the fight.

The Resistant Fighters were proving to be skilled and successful though so the fight was over sooner than they expected. Once they had regained a steady position again, the man with the hood came walking towards them.

As he revealed his face and removed the hood though , Cain thought that he suddenly knew how the beaten Longcoat’s must feel.

“Father?” the young man with the light blond hair and unfamiliar grown up voice asked him suspiciously.

“Son," Cain responded flatly, shock written on his face.

To his surprise and shock their sudden encounter felt like a slap in the face and not like the happiest moment in his life, although Cain had secretly hoped that he would still be able to find his son after the hard realization that Adora was dead and lost to him forever.  
Seeing his son all grown up and taking care of himself, though, even underlined the fact that Cain had broken his promise and that he hadn’t only lost his wife but also the carefree child that used to be his son.  
O.o..O.O.O.O.O

Once they had chained the Longcoats, both the conscious and the unconscious, the group of Resistant fighters and freed prisoners had made their way to the camp which Jeb was leading them to.

It was a huge camp, perfectly hidden in the woods. The tents were built up precisely and in pristine order and Cain could see that someone had put a lot of thought into the organization of the camp. The tent with the weapons was circled by the tents of the fighters so that they could grab what they needed even when they were under attack at night, and the close distance assured them that they would hear it if someone stole their belongings. Tables and fireplaces were built at the center of the camp and the place where most people were gathering. The tent that they were heading for seemed to be at the top of a little hill, though.

While Jeb’s companions brought the Longcoats to a place where they could be properly taken care of, Cain observed the moving and living camp in awe. He hadn’t seen so many people fighting for their rights in many years and it brought back the old pain in the middle of his chest.  
Then he spotted an open Tin Suit and he stopped in his tracks.

“What’s this doing here?” he asked his son who was slowly approaching him.

“I keep it to remind me. To remind everyone. What we are fighting for," his son answered.

 

The bang in his chest increased as he heard that his son had not only grown into man but also into a victim of the familiar hatred that he felt as well. The uncontrollable desire to take revenge seemed to bloom in his son’s heart as well, and he blamed himself for not protecting him from this misery.  
For a moment Cain thought that he might reach through to his son, but the young man was already turning away from him so Cain grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him.

“You know... uh, I thought you’d be dead.” This was his chance to get ahold of his son and he wished that he wasn’t screwing it up right now.

“They told mother and I that you were dead.” And for the first time since their encounter he looked like a twelve year old boy again.

“Finding out that you’re still alive I would have risked everything, crossed enemy lines to come get you. You know that don’t you?” Back was the grown up man in front of him.

“Yeah I do," he answered reassuringly. And how could he not? Jeb had developed into a strong and feisty man that reassembled his mother’s free spirit in so many ways.

Cain let go of Jeb’s shoulder, but before he could say more another Resistant fighter approached them calling Jeb sir and asking him to follow since someone needed Jeb’s attention.  
Cain was surprised by the title given to his son and a wave of pride suddenly washed over.

“Sir?” he remarked curiously and suddenly realization hit him.

“You’re…you’re running things around here?” That’s why Jeb was showing them around , that’s why he had started the attack on Zero. He was the leader of the Resistance!

“It just worked out like that!” Jeb assured him in a casual manner which lightened Cain’s mood a bit. Just like his father he thought to himself.

“I’m proud of you son!” he exclaimed and allowed his happiness to show on his face before he decided to do the exact right thing and hug his son for the first time since they met.

When they were sharing their warm embrace it felt kind of strange to both of them, but they would hopefully get used to it again. Little steps... it would need a lot of little steps to restore the old comfortable feeling that they had shared years ago, but Cain needed this embrace to realize that this was his second chance and that stubbornness wouldn’t stop him from taking this chance. Jeb accepted his offer for he seemed to know that this chance was a gift to them.

“Hey, you’re all right?” Nevertheless Cain had a feeling that his son was distant so he wished that they could fix that over time.

“Sure.”

And although they parted rather clumsily and awkward, tears suddenly filled Cain’s eyes for he gave himself the promise that they would become a family again, no matter how painful their new beginning may have started.  
O.O.O.O..O.O.O.O.  
Shortly after Jeb had left, Cain had followed him into the tent that seemed to function as a base for private investigations and as meeting point.  
Aside from the others the fighters had brought Zero to this tent for they wanted to have answers to an awful lot of questions and none of them looked like they wouldn’t beat them out of the man if necessary.

Zero proved to be stubborn and Azkadellia had shielded his mind so Raw wasn’t able to reach through, but Jeb had grown into a skilled strategist who knew how to handle those who refused to talk.

Slowly he kneeled down to be on the same height as the Longcoat and his voice was calm but demanding when he spoke.

“I’ll make this easier for you, if you tell us everything you know about the machine…," Jeb started.

Zero seemed to be completely unimpressed by that approach and as a sign to show how less he cared he spat Jeb into the face. A wave of anger rushed through Cain’s body as he saw the disrespectful behavior that was guided towards his son, however he was surprised to see how calmly Jeb reacted.

Instead of starting a fight with the man who had ripped him apart from his father and killed his mother, Jeb stood up with dignity and ordered one of his men to fetch something of unknown identity. Whatever it was he would use new forces to make Zero talk and Cain was impressed to see that Jeb was leading the conversation, humiliation included or not.

At first Zero was very amused about Jeb's ‘pathetic’ attempt to get the answers they wanted and needed. However when the device was brought into the tent and he heard the disturbing sounds of screeching metal and unknown rattling, his demeanor changed and he visibly started to look uncomfortable.

Since his hands were chained behind his back and his view was guided towards Raw and Glitch he couldn’t see what the men had carried into the tent and this missing knowledge was what broke him in the end.

“What, what is that? What... uh... What, uhm... What are you, uhm... Okay, okay,“ Zero stammered turning his head from one side to the other desperately trying to take a glimpse of the device and to see what Jeb and the men were doing behind his back. Sweat built on his forehead and uncertainty was evident in his voice.

 

“No! NO... wait... wait, wait... wait. Not the fingers, not the fingers!” he yelled as one of the men grabbed for the Longcoat’s fingers.

Jeb showed no mercy and no matter how much Zero suddenly pleaded, he grabbed the device without listening to the stuttering Longcoat and brought it closer and closer to the man’s fingers.

“Wait NOT the fingers!!” Zero was completely out of it now and the fear inside of him was eating him up.

“Oh SHUT UP!” Jeb shouted in return and showed all the anger that he had been repressing at the beginning of the interrogation.

“ I will tell you everything I know," desperately Zero tried to stop Jeb from his longing for revenge and for the first time he showed everyone how pathetic he really was.

“Oh it’s too late," Jeb snarled, making clear that he wouldn’t accept any excuses nor forgiveness.

“I’ll talk, okay!”

“It’s too late!”

Before the situation could escalate Cain had to do something. Jeb wasn’t rational anymore and his hatred for the man on the floor clouded his mind and made him do rushed things. The misery he had seen was guiding his actions and Cain needed to stop him so that he wouldn’t lose his son to the darkness that had cost them his wife and Jeb’s mother.

“Son! Let him talk…TALK!” he first addressed his son then Zero.

“The machine forms an intense beam of light," Zero started and his whole body was shivering , either from fear or from the relief that Cain had surprisingly saved him.  
The new found information seemed to confuse Glitch and like he had done back in the cabin of Lorraine and Ralph he surprised them by asking questions about the machine.

“Why?” he addressed Zero with a cocked head.

“It focuses its power on the emerald at the double eclipse. Locks the two suns behind the moon. It will bring darkness to the O.Z forever," there it was Azkadellia’s plan, the purpose of Ambrose's machine, the reason why she had looked for it.  
So it was true, they used his friend’s invention to destroy the Outer Zone and whatever ran the machine was either Ambrose himself or Azakdellia had found a much worse solution.

“Damn thing is the anti-sunseeder!” Glitch suddenly exclaimed in horror which caused all of them to look at the Scarecrow. His burlap face was hidden in the shadows, but Cain seemed to trace guilt apart from the horror that was written on it.

His heart stopped and a shiver suddenly ran through his body as if he had fallen into the frozen lake from the Northern Palace again. The world around him seemed to shake and twirl for a moment, before his vision became clearer again.

The guilt on his face and voice, no matter if both were inhuman or not, the upset behavior at Ralph and Lorraine’s, and the tidbits of forgotten memories. All those impressions suddenly crushed down on Cain and made him realize what he had refused to believe and accept before. Glitch, the annoying , clumsy but often enough likeable Scarecrow was the missing Duke of the North. His friend Ambrose. Now he only needed an explanation how and why he was an animated Scarecrow and what had happened to him.

Zero was just about to respond when Jeb interrupted the two by asking what a sunseeder was so Cain told him that it was a machine that Ambrose had designed to help the farmers.

“How do we shut it down?” his son then asked not being really impressed with the original machine but more concerned with what Azkadellia had turned it into.  
Zero didn’t reply at first, instead he looked at the Scarecrow and thought about his answer as if he knew more than all of them.

“Ask him," he finally said and waved his head in Glitch’s direction.  
The straw man froze and looked at Zero and the others in disbelief.

“I’m just a Scarecrow without any memories of my past... I...I don’t know how her machine works," he answered in defense, his unease causing Zero to smile triumphantly.

“Part of you does... Ambrose,", the blond man on the ground answered with so much dark-hearted joy dripping from his lips that the truth was even harder to take for Cain.  
Zero knew Glitch’s true identity, he knew what had happened to him and maybe he had even witnessed how his friend had become a Scarecrow.

Finally knowing the truth and hearing the approval from Zero took a heavy burden from Cain’s heart. Knowing that Ambrose was still alive and not Azkadellia’s slave even made him feel happy for a moment, however this realization made it harder, for he had never wished his friend to lead a life like this.

The Scarecrow stared at his hands in disbelief as if he was taking a closer look of his body for the very first time. Maybe he was remembering something , maybe he even believed that what Zero had told them was true but how could he be sure if most of his memories had been taken from him?

Only now Cain realized what a strong burden it was to forget everything about your past and to be a victim of your own mind. Annuals he had wished to forget the pictures that had been playing in his mind on ends but now that he thought about his friend’s situation he was glad that none of his memories from the past had been ripped away from him.

Zero was visibly enjoying the scenery, although he hadn’t been released yet and Jeb was still threatening him with the unknown device.

“Ambrose?" Jeb asked both curiously and suspiciously.

Jeb seemed to know more about the name but Cain doubted that he remembered that Ambrose used to be a friend of the family. There was another reason why Jeb was so suspicious about it.

“Jeb?” he therefore asked his son.

“Our spies found out Ambrose is a code word for the brain that runs the machine,” Jeb answered and Glitch winced.

“My... why…you say that my marbles are in the tower? That I'm really human?” he stammered.

Although Glitch wasn’t able to physically show a lot of emotions everyone in the tent could feel that he was horrified, so no one hesitated to clear the way when the odd creature started running away from the scene and outside into the fresh air.  
Cain wanted to follow, but Raw held him back.

“Needs little moment to himself," the viewer whispered and he was right.

Cain ordered Zero to tell them where they could find the brain and the Longcoat obeyed to that as well.

“Look, I’ve told you everything you need to know... now put that thing away... put that thing away," Zero whimpered now that the only thing that had amused him was gone and nothing was left but the fear of the invisible torture tool.  
With a satisfied grin on his face, being happy that he had been able to break the stubborn and feisty Longcoat, Jeb revealed the pair of spoons he had been knocking together all the time.  
His satisfaction grew when he saw how Zero gulped visually, his face turning whither than before and his head falling on his chest as a sign of capitulation.

Cain was frightened by the joy that was showing on Jeb’s face although he himself was feeling pleasant about the man’s defection. Nevertheless, he stopped his son, completely being in shock, when the young man tried to kill Zero with a sword. One hand was lying tremblingly on Jeb’s shoulder, his heart beating in his chest like crazy. This isn’t what he wanted for his son. Both men were guided by lust and by the burning pressure to seek revenge, but he wouldn’t allow Jeb to live with the horrors of someone’s blood on his hands.

There were other ways and he hoped that he could convince his son that he shouldn’t allow hatred to guide him and his deeds.

“You won’t finish the job like this, son. Put it away!”

“This is the guy who killed mother. He destroyed your life and mine and you want to let him live?” Jeb countered, disgust on his face.

“He deserves to die. I won’t deny that," Cain agreed.

“Then what?” his son snapped.

“Killing him won’t bring back your mother. And won’t honor her memory either," Cain ended.  
He could see the disappointment, hatred and disgust on his son’s face but no matter what this meant for their relationship, he wouldn’t allow his son to become a murderer.  
Angrily Jeb let go of the sword and with swift steps he left the tent like Glitch had done moments before.  
O.O.O.O..O.O.O.  
He found him sitting on a log a few feet away from the busy fighters and the tents. His face was resting on his hands which were steadied by his legs. He was a heartbreaking sight to look at however Cain needed to talk with him and interrupt the serenity.

“It is not your fault," he said without waiting for Glitch to raise his head. With an almost silent sound he placed himself next to the Scarecrow on his log and observed his friend more closely.

“ I don’t even know if I can disagree with that or not," Glitch’s answer was muffled since he was speaking with his face still buried in his hands.  
The truth behind the Scarecrow’s words left Cain speechless for a moment. How was he supposed to help if Glitch was right and neither of them knew whom they would talk about. Was it the same person Cain had met so many years ago or was he a shallow remains of the man he knew…a stranger with a twisted memory?

“Who am I, Cain? Who was I? What have I done?” Not knowing if Cain could help him or not he raised his head and hoped for a little comfort from the rational Tin Man. Maybe he was the only person in the whole O.Z who could give him an answer that was plausible enough to let him forget the guilt for a second.

Cain was silent and the look on his face was unexpectedly sorrowful and not frozen and stony as usual. Something was bothering the man. Did he blame Glitch for having been the inventor of that dreadful machine that was threatening all of them? Did he hate him, now that he knew who Glitch truly was even though Glitch himself didn’t know if the rude Longcoat was right.

The memories got a bit clearer once the man had mentioned that familiar name but everything was still much too blurry and too far away to be acceptable as the truth. Nevertheless Zero had a point, he had seen the fear in the man’s face as Jeb had threatened him so there was no possible reason why Zero should have lied to them. Jeb had broken the man and there was another thing that was bothering Glitch. He was wearing the tattered and torn royal garb and he still couldn’t explain why.

“ I knew you," Cain suddenly answered, reminding Glitch that he had asked the man a question.  
That took him by surprise. Cain knew who that Ambrose was and he had never even mentioned it? Back at the frozen palace he had mentioned that he knew the royal family so Glitch believed him but why had he left out Ambrose?

“You knew Ambrose?” Glitch asked curiously.

“ I met him - you - a long time ago and we became very close friends. I thought he ..you died from the hands of Azkadellia’s…the witch’s alleys. Some days I even hoped she would still hold you captive somewhere in that tower. I didn’t know she had done...this.” And the sadness coming from these words convinced Glitch that they were the truth.

“ So it is true then?” the Scarecrow asked further on.

“I’m not sure but I have to confess that I had my suspicions. You are in many ways like him," Cain answered lowering his head and voice in unison. He had imagined their reunion to be completely different. It was supposed to be a day of victory like he had promised him during their last encounter in the palace, but they hadn’t even fought the witch yet. And although Ambrose had been his best friend, he didn’t even know what to say to him now.

An uncertain feeling rushed through Glitch’s body and was added to the uncommon traits he had developed... was it what people called hurt? For he could tell that Cain’s statement made him feel cheated and lonely.

“Why didn’t you tell me when we were talking about my own suspicions back in DeMilo’s wagon?” he needed to know the reason and he had to hear it coming out Cain’s mouth. He wanted to know if Cain had been silent because he mistrusted Glitch, or if there was another reason.

“I think I was scared of the truth." Cain raised his head again and Glitch could see remains of tears covering the man’s cheeks.

He hadn’t expected an answer like this nor that it would make Cain cry! He wasn’t even sure if he had believed that Cain was capable of crying. The unfamiliar feeling of hurt was suddenly replaced by another much stronger feeling that only could be relief and sympathy. It touched him that Cain seemed to care so much for him and he wondered what their friendship had been like. If only he could remember. Reassuringly he placed a hand on Cain’s back hoping that the man wouldn’t feel guilty for something that wasn’t his fault.

“ It is okay. I’m scared too," Glitch mumbled hoping it would give his friend some comfort.

“We will find D.G. and then we will look for your brain," Cain responded silently, his voice sounding much clearer and less sad. Glitch agreed with that and hoped that they wouldn’t only get a chance to reunite him with the past that was lost, but also fix the things that were broken.

“Before we will do that, though, you need to know that I've known you for a very long time now. You were always a noble, honest and loyal man so don’t think that you’re the one who is responsible for that machine! The Sorceress knows how to break people." Now it was Cain who placed a reassuring hand on Glitch’s shoulder making them look like two old friends who were philosophizing about life and its meaning. At least the first applied to them.

“I will try," Glitch answered and before they would go back to the others, both allowed themselves to remain in this comforting posture for a little while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belated A.N: Okay about this chapter…well now everyone knows who Glitch really is *surprise* I hope the way Cain deals with the revelation is okay to you. I know it’s all written awkwardly and maybe too sloppy but I thought this might be a possible way of them to get to know the truth. Also I didn’t want Cain to get too emotional yet because they are still in the middle of the fight against the witch and all that and I didn’t want to get away from that focus either. Just tell me what you think ;) I hope you enjoyed it !   
> PS: Yes Glitch still can remember certain things which I blame on the magic inside of him ;)


	20. The tower

Tutor had proven to be a faithful and trustworthy ally in the end, who had covered their back and promised to hold back any Longcoats who tried to break into the brain room and stop them from their mission. After rescuing D.G. and getting cover by the Resistance, the four friends had entered the witch’s tower and were now on two different paths that would hopefully lead them to the end of war.

While Toto was watching the corridor, the three guys made their way to the last door, and when they had reassured themselves that everything was safe, they entered the room.  
Not knowing what they would see they walked through the double doors and right in front of an exposed white-reddish brain lying in a bubbling tank. As the men spotted the organ Cain could see that tension rushed through Glitch’s body at the forgotten but still too familiar sight.

Slowly they walked closer to the tank and the brain that was connected to the machine , looking at the organ as if it was containing all life's answers. For both Glitch and Cain it was hard to look at it since they both knew now that it was their only connection to something they had lost . For Glitch it was his memories and body, for Cain a friend.

Besides the fascination Raw could sense that there suddenly was a much stronger bound radiating between the two and he was willing to not only help D.G. but also help his friends to regain the friendship they had to sacrifice.  
Time was running short and they needed every second of it and Cain was a man of action.

“Glitch?”

“Hmm?”

“It’s time to get reacquainted with yourself again," the Tin Man approached Glitch from the right and spoke to him softly, but when Cain asked him to be connected to the brain in the tank the confusion on Glitch’s artificial face was more evident than ever.

“But Cain, how do you want to do it? How can you believe that it will work? I’m not... I’m not the man you used to know anymore and it’s impossible to connect my straw filled head with the machine. It...it won’t work," Glitch protested, letting his gaze sink to the floor.

“Look, I know it is hard to believe that this is half of your brain in this tank but you need to trust me here. Remember when we were in DeMilo’s wagon?” Cain took Glitch’s chin into his hand and raised his head so that his buttons would meet his friends eyes.

“You said yourself that you believe in magic inside of you. That this magic animates you , that it gave you some of your old memories and that it makes you seem human, isn’t that what you said?” Cain asked.

“Yes, but Cain...." but without even getting a chance Glitch was interrupted again.

“I believe that this magic will be able to connect you to the one thing you lost. It will enable Raw to break through to the other half of yours and it will help us to get the code and stop Azkadellia. Whatever magic is keeping you alive it must be mixed with that stubbornness of yours...It is strong, you are strong, and now I don’t want to hear any more protests is that clear?” Cain was determined to end this war and he was determined to help his friends no matter what.  
Glitch nodded and Raw looked at him in awe.

“Connect him to it," the Tin Man demanded and although Glitch still seemed unsure, the viewer obeyed and all three waited for any reaction from the Scarecrow. Obviously nothing happened when Raw touched Glitch’s cotton head and when he brought his other hand to the cold surface of the tank the two friends held their breath.

Nothing happened.

No stirring from Glitch, no reaction from Raw, not a sudden sign of Ambrose reaching through and trying to contact them. Both Raw and Glitch just stood there, Glitch looking at the tank. Raw’s eyes closed desperately trying to find some hint of a memory or activity from the brain.  
Still nothing happened after five minutes Raw let go of the head, his arms sinking down.

“Raw cannot see," he whispered sadly as he felt how the bound between Glitch and Cain was weakening and the atmosphere around them got tenser and thicker.

Cain’s face was as blank as Glitch’s, unable to show any kind of emotion. Knowing that there might have been a chance to talk to Ambrose had given him hope and seeing that it was impossible now seemed to bring back the old desperation that had imprisoned his heart for all these years.

No one dared to speak for they all knew that without Ambrose and the code they wouldn’t be able to shut down the machine and support D.G. and no one dared to imagine what would now happen to the princess and the O.Z  
O.O.O.o.o.O.O.O.o.O.O.O

After she had climbed up the ladder leading to the balcony of the tower, D.G was now observing how her sister was standing on a round podium, an intense beam of green light engulfing her. The machine was still working and D.G. hoped that her friends wouldn’t fail or get caught.  
Azkadellia was wearing a stunning silver dress and the Emerald of the Eclipse was hanging down her beautiful long neck. When D.G. walked out of hiding and towards her sister, she was shocked by how determined she looked and how much of the witch was now breaking through. The power of the emerald made her stronger and it almost looked like she didn’t need the body of Az anymore.

“Azkadellia! There is still time to stop this!” If her sister was trapped inside her body, and if the emerald wasn’t only influencing the witch’s power but also Azkadellia’s there was a slight chance that D.G. would reach through.

“Look up. The power of the Emerald is about to lock the eclipse in the sky and bring permanent darkness to the OZ," the witch countered, passionately.

Maybe she could free her sister, but maybe she and the witch were sharing a body far too long now and it was impossible to part them. Maybe there was a chance to save Azkadellia , but maybe she had lost the fight and had become one with the witch already.

“A fierce new world is awakening," she added.

The words that left Azkadellia’s lips only made it harder for D.G. to believe that her sister was still inside, but she wouldn’t want to allow herself to accept that all was lost. She was the key and she was the reason why all of this had happened to her sister and family. She couldn’t stop now, she had to go on.

“No listen to me, my SISTER!”she pleaded. The emphasis laying on sister which surprisingly caught the attention of Azkadellia whose gaze focused on D.G.

“This is not what you want. Remember who you are." Now she had the witch’s attention so she needed to use it. The confusion on Az’s face assured her that she had been wrong and that her sister was still there. Now she only had to go on and encourage her sister’s spirit to take control of her body again.

“Your sister is dead!” The sorceress snarled with the voice of the witch that brought the tears to D.G.’s eyes. She wasn’t strong enough, she knew that D.G. was there and she had listened to her words but the witch was stronger and wouldn’t allow Azkadellia to come to the surface.

“No," D.G. exclaimed, determined.

Maybe if she couldn’t take control on her own she needed someone to take her hand and pull her out. She had promised herself that she would do anything she could to save her sister and the O.Z and she didn’t care what it would cost.

Taking a step closer to the sorceress she outstretched her hand, wanting to grab her sister’s hand but the witch wouldn’t want to allow it and sent her stumbling over the edge of the balcony. Fortunately, she got a hold of it which stopped her from falling down into the unknown darkness beneath, however she wasn’t strong enough to lift her up yet.  
O.o.O.O.o.O.O.O.O

“Try it again." None of them had spoken since the failure but Cain wasn’t ready to give up yet.

“But Cain, we failed. I told you that it wouldn’t work," Glitch countered, reaching for Cain’s arm to support the Tin Man, but the blond slapped it away.

“That’s because you don’t believe in yourself!” Cain replied, anger written on his face.

“Raw, I want you to connect him again! Glitch, we will try it a second time. I’m going to tell you something and you will listen okay?” As if someone had pulled a switch Cain visibly calmed down again, the anger vanishing. Glitch was fascinated by that sudden change and only nodded in return again.

A second time Raw touched the straw man’s head before he placed the other hand on the tank. Like the first time, nothing happened but suddenly Cain stepped closer to Glitch and laid one hand on the creature’s opposite shoulder.

“You remember the first time we met Ambrose? We were much younger back then and less of a mess. Neither of us was paying attention to the surroundings because I was new to the palace and you... well, you’ve always been a little scatterbrain. We walked into each other and when I saw you I thought you would be just another of those stick in the mud kids that I had met before…." Cain was getting closer to the spot of Glitch’s head where his ears were supposed to be and his voice was slowly turning into a whisper.

“Cain, I don’t know what...," Glitch interrupted turning his head to the Tin Man, but Cain forced his gaze back to the tank by pushing the cotton head back into his old position.

“You promised to listen! Focus the brain and try to think," the blond ordered.

“You soon turned out to be a really nice guy who offered me to share his horse with me, and besides that you’ve done a lot of other things that made me like you very fast. You taught me many things and because of you I learned a lot about myself. You mentioned that you remember the smell of hay, that’s because we would spend hours in the stables. You said that your remember balls, that’s because your mother made you attend a lot of them. You need to focus, Ambrose, concentrate on the things that you can remember, try to forget everything around you and just pay attention to what lies in front of you." Remembering their past for Glitch pulled at Cain’s nerves but what he said seemed to have an effect on the Scarecrow.

As if being mesmerized the straw man lifted his right hand and brought it to the glass tank himself, never breaking eye contact with the brain.

“The smell of hay you say?” Glitch asked while his gloved hand patted the cold glass.

Suddenly a shiver went through the animated body and shortly afterwards Raw started to gasp.

“You would do that for me?”

“Sure we’re friends now, remember?”

“ I don’t even know your name, I only know that you’re the prince.”

“And you are the first one who doesn’t treat me like a prince, I like that. My name is Ambrose Gale. You can call my Ambrose, since I haven’t found a nickname that suits my liking or have enough friends to give me one."

“Hello, my name is Wyatt Cain jr. Nice to meet you."

Glitch led out a surprised scream before his whole body started shaking and everything was silent again.

Glitch’s head dropped forward and now rested on his chest. A wave of shock rushed through Cain’s body but before he could shake his friend to see what had happened, the Scarecrow raised his head again and Raw started speaking.

“Raw can see.”

That came unexpected and for a moment Cain had to steady himself after the shock. Glitch still focused on the glass tank in front of him but Cain wondered who would now speak to him. For a moment he was afraid to address the man but they had already lost too much time and they needed to shut down the machine.  
“Uhm … okay ... hey, Glitch I need you to remember something for me. Glitch, can you hear me?” For a moment Cain thought that they might have broken Glitch and that the connection wasn’t working after all, aside from that he still wasn’t sure if they would really talk with Ambrose any second.

“My name isn’t Glitch and you know that, Cain. It’s Ambrose,' the Scarecrow suddenly whispered with a trance-like voice, the message needing to sink in first.

This was their first conversation after a very long time and although they couldn’t use it for a chat, Cain was overwhelmed from the sudden happiness that he could feel in his whole body.

“Okay, yeah, you’re right. Ambrose …that was pretty good. I knew you could make it. Listen I need you to remember how you designed the sunseeder and how to shut it down." Now that they had a connection Cain was confident that everything could work out as long as no one interrupted them now. Before he went on he took a quick glance at the door. Nothing, perfect! While he checked their surroundings he could hear Glitch, no, Ambrose, say that he needed to go to the keyboard numbers that were controlling the light pulsing, so he obeyed.

“There about a million of them, which ones do I turn off?” he asked, placing his hands on the edges of the keyboard.

“Proper shutdown sequencing and to reverse light pulsing is imperative!” Ambrose yelled at him. Cain secretly hoped that it was the machine speaking and not his friend for he wasn’t used to such harsh behavior from him.

“Okay, okay... which numbers," Cain said, returned turning his head to Glitch and bringing him back to the purpose of the brain session.

He could see how Glitch seemed to focus again, for he raised his head higher and straightened his shoulders just a little bit, like Ambrose used to do when he was holding a speech about his newest invention.

“10...66...”

Cautiously Cain’s fingers searched for the right numbers before he typed them in and pulled the orange lever. A little bit unsure, he watched what happened and when they heard a buzzing sound Ambrose continued with listing up the numbers that would shut down the machine.

“14…18...”

And Cain typed

“16…66...”  
O.o.O.O.o.o.O.o.O.O.

The beam of light that was engulfing her got weaker and she couldn’t explain why. She got a feeling that someone was manipulating the machine and shutting it down, but that was impossible! On the balcony she had no control over the happenings inside and she couldn’t allow herself to step down from her podium now, so she yelled her orders instead and hoped that Raynz and the other men would hear her.  
Her plan was flawless and she didn’t allow any failure.  
O.o.o.O.O.o.o.

Raynz and a couple of Longcoats made their way to the brain room to check why the machine wasn’t producing enough energy anymore and to stop whoever was trying to manipulate their plans.  
Toto tried to stop them and used the surprise caused through his shape-shifting to his advantage, but he hadn’t expected to get electrocuted by Raynz.  
Being more concerned about intruders the Longcoats and the Alchemist, in addition of the little seer Kalm, made their way to the brain room even quicker now.

O.O.O.O.O.o.O.O  
“ I think it’s working!” Cain exclaimed in joy as they were making process.

“17...89...," Ambrose went on with his list of numbers.  
As the dials in front of him started shaking and changing like crazy, Cain let out a satisfied laugh. Ambrose was just about to give them the final numbers as a collection of Longcoats suddenly came rushing through the double doors and into the brain room. Since he had his back to the door he may heard them coming but he didn’t see the electro stick that a bald alchemist pressed to his shoulder. The sudden and striking pain sent Cain to the floor and forced him to stay there.

With another move the alchemist used the stick to get rid of Raw, who was sent backwards into the direction of the window due to the power that was emerging from the horrifying device. Cain saw how a Longcoat grabbed Glitch from behind and wrapped his arms around the creature’s slim shoulders.

The alchemist was just about to threaten the Scarecrow with the stick until he noticed the condition of the man in front of him.

“One more and it will be your last. You won’t feel the electric shock but I’m sure you don’t want to find out what will happen to your straw if I use this on you." A devilish grin decorated the alchemist's face, making Cain angrier than ever.  
It hadn’t taken long until he had recovered from the attack and while the Longcoats were busy with Glitch, he was re-loading his gun. Unfortunately, he didn’t notice when another Longcoat came walking through the doors, who also happened to notice his actions and who fired his gun even before Cain could pull the trigger of his own. The sheer force and pressure that was emerging from the shot sent him flying through a side door where he landed on the floor and darkness welcomed him.  
O.o.O.o.O.O.O.O

The strangers hadn’t only injured Raw, but they had shot Cain. Glitch didn’t know if either of them was still alive. After the Longcoats got rid of his friends the bald scientist guy had ordered the little version of Raw to tell them the numbers that would return the machine to its old destroying glory.  
Although Glitch was glad that he had been able to build a connection with his old self, an experience that had been strange and beautiful in many senses, he now wished that the little viewer would fail so that he couldn’t tell them how to bring the machine back to life.

When the cub touched his burlap skin he wasn’t surprised to feel the trembling, and for a second he didn’t only worry for his friends but also for the cub. With a low voice that shook as much as his hands, he recited the numbers that Glitch had just given Cain only a few seconds ago, just in a reverse order.

He couldn’t allow them to ruin their plans. They didn’t have the right to invade his thoughts and to make him a victim of their cruel wicked game again. Not now that he was aware of who is was and what he had sacrificed. Not now that he knew that he could help D.G. to stop Azkadellia.  
Although he feared the threat of the bald scientist, he pulled himself together rather quickly and tried to distract the little viewer by throwing in random combinations of numbers. However the scientist wasn’t one to fool with so he ordered one of the Longcoats to cover his stitched mouth and make him shut up.  
O.O.O.o.O..o.O.O  
“One more number, Kalm," the bald–headed scientist ordered the little cub one last time , the sharp glistening of the electro stick making the viewers limbs go stiff.

Glitch wished he could do something to make them stop but he didn’t want to bring the innocent child into danger, nor did he know what he could do. His mind was blank –ironically he thought that this must be how a Scarecrow was supposed to feel.

Kalm struggled with the last number, whatever it was that enabled the connection between Glitch and Ambrose seemed to refuse any kind of cooperation, which only led to the torture of the cub.

“ I need the last number for full power," the alchemist yelled forcefully using his weapon once again.  
Through gritted teeth the little guy stammered the last numbers that would reverse everything the three friends had accomplished and the pure joy on the face of the scientist cut like knives.

“Ahhh GOOD," he remarked frightfully.  
O.O.o.O.O.O.o.o  
“Finally…permanent darkness...it’s over...I won." The witch looked up into the sky where the anti-sunseeder had locked the suns behind the moon and she watched in triumph how the darkness conquered the country.

D.G.’s fingers were getting weaker and every movement of them hurt like hell. Still she needed to concentrate on all her resources in order to get out of her desperate situation. She tried to suppress the pain and think of her friends and family instead. Thinking of them finally brought the strength that she needed so she managed to pull herself over the edge of the balcony again and with a soft thump she let herself sink to the floor.

“Two little princesses dancing in a row, spinning fast and freely on their little toes. Where the light will take them no one ever knows. Two little princesses dancing in a row, spinning fast and freely on their little toes, where the light will take them no one ever knows," she sang over and over again hoping that the familiar song and sound would reach through to her sister and bring her back.

“Do you remember that time in the cave? When you remembered what all those symbols meant? You’re so smart. Your adventures have a way of getting me into trouble, that’s what you always said. You said your adventures have a way of getting me into trouble." The memories of that day brought back the tears she had shed in the cave, but the words needed to be said. She needed to remind Azkadellia of who she had been, of how close they had been , of times without the witch and she needed to apologize.

As she was crawling towards her sister she could see the twisted emotion on her face, on the one hand there was the cold angry stare of the witch, a stern look that only radiated darkness , on the other hand she could see that façade crumbling , leaving a confused and helpless expression that definitely was her sister’s.

“Do you remember my spinning doll? How we made it fly together? Concentrate....”

Just concentrate Deeg.

Another memory was thrown at the witch, another memory that showed signs of Azkadellia on that face. She seemed to try and honestly remember what had happened in the past.

“And do you remember the bear? I was so scared but you stood up to it. You were so brave, that made me brave." On and on she threw the tidbits of their past at her and with every word she crawled closer to Azkadellia and with every line she reached deeper into her body, grabbing for her sisters consciousness.

Just hold my hand Deeg, nothing can hurt us when we stay together.

Only reaching for her sister metaphorically though, had already failed before the witch had sent her over the edge of the balcony, now that Az seemed to gain more and more control it was time to reach for her literary so she made a second attempt and outstretched her hand for her sister.

“Hold my hand. Nothing can hurt us when we are together," she pleaded.

“Take it," her voice being nothing more like a whisper.

It looked like Azkadellia was now fighting with the witch’s spirit, her body language expressing the tension inside, her breaths getting deeper and more forced.

“Take it! Take my hand”, now it was more of a demand rather than a plea.

Her sister was visibly struggling , the witch still building a powerful source.

“I’m sorry I let go AZ”

“I'm scared.”

“I'm here and I will never run away again, take my hand." Pleading, force and desperation mingled into the hope that she would be strong enough to grab the hand.

As the last promise left her lips she could see that Azkadellia’s hand was twitching as if it wanted to move into her direction, she was doing it! D.G. had built up enough trust to reach her sister and to encourage her to fight the possession.

“NO! You're talking to the wrong girl!” The ugly face and body of the ancient witch appeared in the place of Azkadellia.

The witch wasn’t one to give up easily though, which only made it harder for the two sisters. Az seemed to be in real pain now and D.G. was struggling with her own mind, trying to find the right words that would weaken the witch’s power and release her sister.

“Take my hand!” Her voice was stronger. Azkadellia was breathing harder, pinching her lips and looking desperate, as if she was about to faint from the pressure.

“NO!” The witch appeared again, showing that both she and her sister were two completely different beings.

“Take my hand." It was a memory of them being children again, little D.G. doing nothing more than asking her older sister to take her hand so that the magic of them could protect them from all evils.

Little Az was close to tears, the witch having held her captive far too long. The fear was evident on her face, she was scared and she wasn’t sure if trusting her sister would help her to get free. However, how could she blame her sister’s deed when all she did herself was fear the witch as well? D.G. had been a little child, she had been innocent, and like so many other people she was innocent now. The witch destroyed the happiness of everyone she knew and she would destroy everything that was left to the people. She couldn’t risk that, it had to end. She and her sister were the only ones who could stop her now.

Slowly and carefully her hands moved in the direction of her sister. The witch was strong, the emerald made her more powerful than ever. Moving her hand even a little bit proved to be hard but when their fingertips touched it was like an invisible barrier was broken and she could feel warmth and strength floating through her body.

She broke the distance in no time and when their hands were entwined a bright glow of magic engulfed them. Slowly her sister pulled at her arm and after annuals of being trapped in her own body she suddenly was released from the witch.

The Azkadellia that stepped out of the glow from the emerald was an Azkadellia who had regained her own body and her control again. Breathing was suddenly much easier, her mind clearer. Finally she could remember all the good things she had experienced as a child. There was no witch interfering in the back of her head and no one who controlled her actions and movement.

She was free and the witch was left behind without her.

O.o0.O.O.o.o.O.O.O.O.O..o.O.o.o

In silence and awe the alchemist and the Longcoats stared outside the window, waiting for the witch to succeed and the darkness to stay permanently. Absolute madness and scarring obsession were written on the alchemist's face making Glitch wonder if his tummy would twist when he had one.

He couldn’t give up now. Maybe there was still a chance to stop them. The Longcoat who was holding him captive was strong but Glitch knew that he was a skilled fighter. When the man was inattentive the Scarecrow used that second of distraction and stepped on the Longcoat's foot sending him a step back, the next thing he did was a quick flip of his body, using his free leg to kick the Longcoat against an opposite wall. Another turn of his body and he saw the electro stick coming closer, he was able to escape the threatening glow that could have sent him on fire, however he didn’t see the blow coming which sent him to the floor.

O.O.O.o.o.o.O.

Raw’s whole body was in pain. When the electricity had touched his skin it had felt like his heart wanted to explode. His limbs still felt like little needles were stuck inside, the blood that had been boiling was flowing faster again but he felt like he couldn’t move.

When he heard the ruckus and opened his eyes he could see that Glitch was fighting the Longcoats and that the alchemist sent him flying to the floor with the other end of the stick. He wouldn’t be unconscious but inattentive and unable to defend himself for a couple of seconds. The alchemist was grinning wildly and looking much too sure of himself and Raw saw it as his chance.

Despite the terrible feeling when he stood up, Raw was determined to take up his own fight. Collecting all the courage that he had (something he thanked D.G. for) he walked towards the alchemist with drawn claws and a roar on his lips.

First he got Kalm out of the way, ordering the alchemist to leave him alone.

For a second time the alchemist used his weapon on Raw, telling the viewer that creatures like him only needed a little encouragement to obey. This was too much for the seer, he was in rage and no electro stick would stop him now.

“Raw needs no courage!! “ he growled before he grabbed for the powerful weapon, the only thing that made the alchemist strong, and used it to his own advantage. Although it looked like the alchemist was wearing some kind of fabric made out of rubber, Raw was able to force the bald man into a corner and to beat him with his own weapons. The paralyzing power of the stick first made the man limp, then he went unconscious.

O.O.O.O.O.O

The punch didn’t hurt nor did it distract him for long. When he got up again he saw that Raw was taking care of the alchemist and since he had beaten up the Longcoats there was no one left who needed to be eliminated.

All he could do was run to Cain who was still lying on the floor, eyes closed. It was strange now that he had seen his old memories again he could remember the strong feelings towards the unconscious man in front of him. He now knew that he had loved him once, this fact alone making him feel dizzy.

With a strong slap he hoped to wake Cain and when the Tin Man opened his eyes he couldn’t help himself from greeting his old friend with a warm, “Good morning sweetheart”

Cain had to grin at that, while Glitch offered him a hand and lifted him up.

“Do I know you?” Cain asked mischievously and if Glitch didn’t knew better he would have thought that there were butterflies flying through his tummy at the sound of this voice.

“That depends. I still haven’t come to terms with my true identity yet," Glitch mumbled and followed Cain who was walking towards the machine and the brain in the tank.

“We will figure it out together, I promise. But now we have to shut down the machine. We have no time to risk more interruptions.” Cain said and with a move of his head he ordered Raw to connect Glitch to his brain.

He typed in the numbers that they already knew, only asking Ambrose to remember the final number that he had wanted to tell them before the alchemist had stopped them.

Surprisingly the last part seemed to be blurry and Ambrose’s damaged brain was showing signs of desperation when the last number wouldn’t want to come to the surface.

The time was ticking away and no matter how hard both Raw and Glitch tried, they couldn’t find the number.

They needed a quick decision as soon as possible and although Cain was scared about the outcome and he hated himself for even considering it there was only one solution coming to his mind.

Glitch was still alive because of the magic so it was possible to still keep him alive at any cost. The brain in the tank contained his memories and maybe it even contained the part of his friend that he was missing so much. However, it was nothing more than a brain in a tank. The real Ambrose, his friend, was standing in front of him in the body of a Scarecrow. He could help him with his memories and he could live on as a Scarecrow and still be happy …somehow. 

The brain was only an organ, it wasn’t his friend. Yet he was asking himself if it was fair to shoot the one thing that could save Glitch and that would restore him to his old self again.

And for another time Cain had to decide: Friendship or his own life?

“I can’t think...I...I can’t think," he heard Glitch stammer.

“I know what to do." Grabbing for his gun as if he was in trance Cain watched Glitch’s reaction as he turned around and pointed the gun at the brain in the tank.

“If you can’t recall the reverse number, I have to shut it down." As the words left his lips he already felt guilty before he even saw the shock his friend expressed through an opened mouth and crinkled burlap.

He didn’t want to see his friend like this. No matter if Glitch would live on he would never forgive himself for this.

“I’m sorry, Ambrose." No emotions, there was no place for emotions.

He heard Ambrose gasp in fear before Raw interrupted him.

“No no wait!” He screamed anxiously.

Maybe it was because of the pressure of the gun, or for another reason, but all of a sudden Ambrose triumphantly screamed the numbers that they needed.

“1208, the Queen’s and my birthday of course! Commence the reverse pulsing!” He exclaimed pointing his finger at the keyboard.

Cain let out a sigh of relief, his hands still trembling as he typed in the last numbers and pulled the lever for one last time.

The only thing he could think about was the gratefulness he was feeling in this very moment. Only a second longer and he would have shot his best friend, brain or not.

O.O.O.O.o

A minute ago the witch had attacked them with her magic, their entwined hands building a protecting fence around them.

Now the light of the emerald and the machine were slowly fading and the witch started to melt.

“The guys must have been successful then," was the only thing she could think about before she let herself fall into the open arms of her sister.

They had won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Oh my that is the longest chapter so far , I think ;) Well well in the end I couldn’t prevent that Raw goes into Glitch consciousness because it’s an essential tool of the series and I hope that you are still with me and fine with my whole ‘magic solves everything’ theory. Also I swapped places in the famous Glitch/Cain Good Morning Sweetheart scene XD I hope that is okay…since Glitch can’t faint I had to change that too but I wanted it to be in the story and I mean although it was cute to see the gruff Cain say something like this to Glitch , does it really matter who says it as long as they say it?? I hope you like it ;) Thanks for reading , more on Saturday.


	21. Light in the Darkness

As the suns returned behind the moon and their rays flooded the former beauty of the land surrounding the tower, D.G. knew that they would be able to restore it to its old glory again. More than that the soft touch of her sisters hand reassured her that they had banished the darkness forever and that hard work and a lot of trust might help them to lead a normal life again.

Not only she was happy about the returning suns, though. The smile on her sister’s face was faint but her eyes were sparkling and the guilt she was feeling vanished for a moment. They would need a long time to convince Azkadellia that she had been another victim of the witch and that it wasn’t her who did the bad things.

She was distracted from her own thoughts when she felt the soft hand of her mother touching her shoulder. As she turned around to face the Queen she saw tears glistening on her pale face, but like her sister's, they were also sparkling from relief and joy. Her father was steadying his wife and with determined steps they slowly made their way inside the tower again.

The darkness of the place was disappearing like the darkness outside revealing the satisfied look on her friend’s faces.

“And these are the faces of the heroes of the O.Z., I assume. It is nice to see you alive, my dear Cain," her mother exclaimed and slowly walked to Cain only to fall into his arms and give him a very long hug.

“You knew I would do anything to save the life of my friend. For me that meant staying alive all these years no matter the cost," Cain answered with a voice that was so thick with sadness that D.G. thought he would be the next one shedding new tears. Reassuringly he patted Ozma’s back before the Queen broke the embrace and looked at Cain with a smile.

“Much thanks to you too, although I have no idea who you are." The Queen guided towards the other two companions which visibly touched the two creatures.

“It’s my fault that you don’t recognize the Scarecrow," Azkadellia suddenly whispered behind the Queen’s back before she slowly approached her mother who was looking at her with a frown.

“It’s because of what I’ve done in order to save him from the witch. It’s Ambrose, mother," she said and the guilt she was feeling forced her to look to the floor rather than into her mother’s eyes.

A silent gasp left the woman’s lips and she had to cover her mouth with her hand. It was a reflex that helped her to cover her shock. She didn’t want to make her daughter feel even guiltier because it wasn’t her fault, but the realization that her brother was supposed to be this man of straw hit her hard and she hadn't been prepared.

“Why? What happened to you?” She asked after the first shock had ebbed away. The Scarecrow shifted uneasily on his feet before he brought a hand up to its bald head and scratched it with the gloved fingers.

“Well, it’s a long story and I only remember half of it. It doesn’t matter after all, I suppose. You shouldn’t worry, I’m fine.” This wasn’t really true, but he didn’t mean to hurt his sister. She had just been reunited with her husband and lost children and when he came straight to it there was no need to worry her. 

He didn’t regain his old body with the destruction of the witch. However, he was alive and they had succeeded so he really couldn’t complain yet. They would find a way to fix things. Too many tears had been shed already.

“He did everything he could to protect the plans for his machines. You surely remember that he destroyed them in a fire and that the witch came after him for that. She had planned to torture him and after that. She took out half his brain. When I, deeply trapped in my own body, saw that he was close to death I decided to use a spell I had found in one of the ancient books. It said that it could save someone from eternal pain so I fought for control and used the witch's powers," Azkadellia answered instead of Glitch, and the straw man wished that his niece wouldn’t blame herself for the deed that someone else had brought her to.

“So you stubbornly refused to surrender even though she threatened to kill you?” Ozma asked curiously. She would talk to her daughter when they were alone and when they had enough time to talk about the past.

There was no need for her daughter to stand for the things that the witch had done to them, but she would tell her that in private. There was a lot of mother and daughter talk they needed to share, for she could see the shards that were left of the person that used to be her little Azkadellia .

“I think so," the queen's brother answered sheepishly, an innocent unsure grin on his face.

“You stupid straw headed fool! You should have surrendered." She knew that he wouldn’t feel it but she slapped him nevertheless.

Ambrose touched the spot where her hand had hit his face, confusingly rubbing over the surface as if he was hurt after all.

“What was that for now?” He asked as the surprise was gone again.

“Just a reminder that I care for you, no matter what. You knew that things were lost. You shouldn’t have risked your life for something like that.You’re too selfless," she answered, the tears coming back as she now hugged her brother and wrapped him into a longing embrace. He reluctantly returned the gesture by placing his hands on her back.

When she released him again she looked up into the buttons that reassembled his eyes and a weak smile crawled on her face.

“After settling things in our country we will find a way to fix you, Ambrose," she said and finally let go of his hands as well.

“Is that a deal?” he asked, returning the smile.

“It’s a promise," she said and hoped that she was able to keep it.

With his mouth he formed a silent “Thank you,” before he approached Azkadellia and cupped her chin with his hands.

“You saved me and I will be forever grateful for that! It doesn’t matter what state I’m in now. You fought the witch to save my life. You were so strong at that moment and I couldn’t be prouder of you." Lifting her head and looking at her genuinely he hoped that he could bring that same smile on her face.

For a moment she hesitated but when she could see that he was honest about his words, she allowed herself to smile back for a second.

“I will try to not let it affect myself too much," she whispered and he nodded. She was glad that he understood her. Witch or not, she had been part of this and she simply needed some time to heal.

“Just don’t think that I hate you, it’s not your fault and there is nothing I would blame you for," he answered before he placed a kiss on her forehead that felt unexpectedly soft.

Without being able to help herself, silent tears suddenly left her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.

The others had been watching them all the time, never interrupting because they knew that the three needed to say the things that had been on their mind.

After the mystery of Ambrose had been solved and explained to everyone, and after the Queen had shared some reuniting moments with her brother, the family had made their way to the public and announced the death of the witch before they had left to the Central City palace, where they talked to each other for the rest of the night.

Many tears hadn’t been shed yet and there was a lot of catching up to do. The new day would include a lot of organization since the whole land needed to be informed of the return of their Queen. Neighboring countries, as same as the remaining administration needed to be called for a conference as soon as possible. Besides that Ozma and Ambrose were hoping to find their sisters, Thea and Amelia, who according to Ozma, were still alive and hiding in Ev.

The night though, was dedicated to the family in addition to Cain, his son Jeb, and Raw. They had some busy weeks ahead of them, but they had learned that time was precious so they didn’t waste it with things that could wait until the next day.

O.O.O.O.o.o.O.O.O.O.o

It was long after midnight when he heard someone walking into his old room. As the Duke of the North he had preferred to live at the Northern Palace because it was closer to the lands that were under his caring, but whenever he could he had used to come back and stayed at the Central City palace.

The bed sheets were dusty from lack of use (the witch hadn’t used the palace very often) but since he didn’t need to sleep he didn’t care. All he needed was a silent place to spend the night and his room had proven to be the perfect hiding place.

He didn’t need to turn on the lights to know that it was Cain who was visiting him. The situation reminding him very much of a night where Cain had shown him the confirmation letter for his Tin Man training.

It was odd, he only had been connected to Ambrose for a short time but remembering seemed to be much easier. So was feeling certain emotions, especially when the Tin Man was near. They were similar to the odd feelings he had had before. Now, however, they were even stronger and he exactly knew why.

“Shouldn’t you be much too tired to be still awake, Tin Man?” he asked into the darkness of the room. He couldn’t see Cain but he assumed that the man was just making a face.

All of a sudden someone turned on the light and now Glitch could see the blond man who was making his way to the bed and sitting down on the edge.

“There is too much on my mind to be sleepy," Cain returned with this unsaying expression on his face. Why had he come to his room then, when his face showed nothing but more riddles.

“What for example?” Glitch therefore asked curiously.

“You," Cain said as a matter of fact.

It didn’t surprise Glitch, since Cain was one of the major things that was on his mind too. However, he was asking himself in what way Cain was thinking of him and why he had come so late at night to tell him.

“I see, because we used to be friends. Because I’m Ambrose?” He continued their conversation.

Cain didn’t seem to the like the word ‘used’ and therefore flinched.

“We’re still friends, you should know that," he responded.

“I know, I’m sorry... it’s just that everything is a bit...,"Glitch started

“Strange, I know," and Cain finished for him.

Strange was the right word. They hadn’t seen each other in years, they had won against the witch and were reunited again, yet there were no hugs or emotional moments of telling the other how much they had missed each other.

Just an awkward moment of silence that was desperately trying to be filled.

“You think I’m going to be human again?” So Glitch said the first thing that came to his mind. Cain seemed to consider the question for a moment before he answered.

“I’m sure that Ozma will find a way," he said but he didn’t sound very confident about his own words.

Glitch just nodded because he himself wasn’t too confident either, but he was glad that Cain was trying to lift him up.

“Where will you go from here? Will you stay at the palace or will you leave for your cabin and fix things there?” He hoped that reminding Cain of his old home, the place where he had spent his life with Adora, wouldn’t make him sad but the Tin Man only shook his head.

“First things need to be fixed in Central City. Jeb and I can go back to the cabin after that. Besides...I suppose that there are still some things at the palace that keep me here," he answered slowly.

“So we’re back talking about Ambrose then? About our relationship?” Glitch asked, not being sure of how Cain would answer.

The Tin Man stared into the emptiness of the room and took a long pause before he answered.

“I came here to tell you… I came here to tell you that...." Nervously he started to fidget with his fingers. Cautiously, he looked up to Glitch who curiously was awaiting an answer from him but Cain was scared.

Over the days spent with Glitch and through the remembering of his old friend he had noticed that his feelings had changed. Friendship had vanished long ago and was slowly being replaced by affection and love. 

The fear of losing his best friend had opened his eyes for something new, that might have been inside of him all the time. He loved every single bit about Ambrose, but could he allow himself to ask the same thing from his friend?

There were going through a rough time and bringing back the O.Z. to its old glory would be time consuming and tiring for all of them. Adora was dead and she wouldn’t come back but did that allow him to forget the pain and start a new life? She would want him to be happy, but he couldn’t just throw away the thought that only days ago he had hoped to find both Adora and his son alive.

It was too fresh and although she might approve of his decisions, it needed time to heal and time for this feelings to get a proper chance to blossom. Love wasn’t born within a day and Cain didn’t want to destroy the affection that was already there.

But would Glitch understand? 

Of course he hadn’t even managed to bring his thoughts into words but once he did, would Glitch give him the time he needed? More importantly would he confess that he secretly felt the same way?

The Tin Man’s head was twirling and he started to feel dizzy. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to pay the Scarecrow a visit after all. He wasn’t ready yet, but he had wanted to see his friend.

“You know what? This was a mistake! Please don’t get me wrong, I came here to see you and yes I wanted to talk about old times and our friendship. But there are those thoughts that really confuse me and I don’t know… I need time to sort things out on my own. Maybe I should go now," he rambled out of the blue, not paying attention if Glitch was as confused as him or if the Scarecrow was able to make sense out of it.

Jumping up from the bed and turning a last time to Glitch he wanted to make clear that he was about to leave-running away from the situation that had developed much too clumsily and hasty.

“Cain," was the only way that Glitch responded. The blond was not sure if his voice sounded sad or not.

“If you meant to tell me that you might have developed feelings for me, I want to inform you that I feel the same way... well, I suppose Ambrose does. I know everything happened very fast, thankfully, and now it’s going to be very busy but still I wanted you to know that you shouldn’t be afraid of what you feel... at least not because I might have completely different feelings. I think we both need some time to settle down again. I really want my body back and you shouldn’t torture yourself with twisted thoughts about Adora's death. It’s all right. We have so much ahead of us, there is no need to rush into something. I can wait, I always will,” Glitch answered softly, showing as much sympathy and understanding on his face as he could.

Cain stood there as if frozen in time, only able to stare with his mouth lightly open. He couldn’t believe what Glitch had just said to him, and his heart couldn’t feel warmer and lighter.

To know that he had a chance and that one day everything could be easier and less difficult, made him feel more like a lightweight. It was no surprise then that he couldn’t stop himself from smiling genuinely for the first time after the eclipse had disappeared and light had flooded the land.

“You mean that…," he started carefully.

“I want to talk to you about the status of our relationship again when we both feel that it’s the right time, yes," Glitch answered and the stitches of his mouth almost touched the buttons he had for eyes. He almost looked spooky when he smiled liked that but Cain had always loved his smile so he didn’t care that the crinkly burlap made it look different.

“That sounds like a good plan to me," he returned. “Thank you." With that he bowed in front of his friend as if he wanted to introduce him to his old title as a duke again, but actually he only wanted to hear Glitch laugh and he didn’t get disappointed.

The lovely clear sound filled the room even before he was able to raise his head again and in an instant he knew how much he had missed that sound.

“I’ll leave you alone then. Business will start pretty early tomorrow morning,” Cain said and Glitch nodded in agreement.

“Farewell then, old friend," the Scarecrow replied mockingly and in an almost theatrical fashion.

Cain walked to the door, used the switch close to it to turn off the lights and silently he left Glitch alone to the darkness.

“Goodnight Sweetheart," he said to himself and with a silent tune on his lips he walked along the barely lit corridor to his own apartment.

May time heal their wounds and the future bring them new light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Again the dialogue between Cain and Glitch may come off as sloppy..I hope not but I’m not fully satisfied with that last part so I might edit it some time. This was the last Chapter of Part 2. Next week we will take a look at the time post eclipse. Five more chapters and my story is finished though . I hope you enjoyed it . Thanks for reading .


	22. The Task of Time

Part 3 Annuals of the Light

 

Once upon a time there was a land, that was conquered by darkness, fear and death. You may call it Oz, but people used to call it the O.Z . Blood had covered the land in ancient times and in later years that had once been seen as the years of peace and light.

Witches, terrible creatures who lived from the pain of the people, had ruled and slaughtered the land over decades and many annuals. There had always been feisty people and wise men who had tried to banish the witches from their country, but it was believed that no one would ever stop the never-ending misery.

But where darkness spreads there is also light. Dorothy, the gray gale, the savior of Oz, had been such a light. Through her innocence, her devoted faith and her love for the inhabitants of this magical place, she had faced the darkness and defeated the witches.

One and one alone had survived and many annuals passed until she got her revenge. Once again she brought misery and fear to the land, yet she was destroyed by the same light that had been passed on from Dorothy to her great-granddaughter D.G.

Sisterly love was what brought final peace to the Outer Zone and with trust would come peace and with peace the light would spread and engulf the whole country.

O.o.O.O.O.o

Time passed faster than expected when people were working together and their spirits were high and guided by the joy over the death of the witch. Everyone was feeling lighter, music and songs could be heard on the streets, people were kinder and much more open towards each other and only here and there were their thoughts clouded by mistrust and fear.

They celebrated the downfall and looked forward to more happy years, years in which they gained back their control, their belongings and years in which they could build up a closer connection to their ruler again.

It hadn’t always been like this. Time was passing faster now, but the first weeks after the eclipse had proved to be hellish once more. Of course the people of the O.Z. had been suspicious. Suddenly they didn’t have to face the forces of darkness anymore, which calmed their nerves and let them breathe again. However, they suddenly were to trust their old ruler again, who had always fought for their protection but who had failed to save them from the evils of her own daughter.

No one wanted to believe that Azkadellia had been guided by an evil witch. No one trusted the thought that the witch from the Great War had returned and possessed the young woman when she had still been a child. No one saw the scars which should have been evident to everyone. In their hatred towards the princess they were blind for what was right. So it came that suspicion and fear led to attacks towards the Royal family and the young innocent princess.

Revolts and Rebellion were the voices of the folk and they made clear that they wanted revenge for what the Sorceress had done to them. It hadn’t been easy for the Queen to suppress her anger towards the blind hatred of the people, but in the end she had accepted that they weren’t to blame and that their actions were guided by the fear of the unknown.

Days and weeks would pass until she was finally able to reach through this fear and convince the people that the witch was gone and that Azkadellia had been a victim of evil forces like all of them. She herself was still weak from all the annuals in her prison and the attacks of the people she had been trying to protect invaded her heart and shattered her hopes. Only with the help of her family and the government she had managed to stop the riots and increase the chances of peace to conquer the land again.

Truth having been said, the ambassadors and the remaining allies of the Queen had been skeptical as well, some even wanted to see heads roll and prices be paid, but none of them could deny that their mind had been changed and their temper cooled down once they had laid eyes on Azkadellia and seen the scars that had been left by the witch.

The first weeks after the witch had fallen the reconstructions of the city and establishment of a new security system had needed to wait in order to stop the country from rushing into another war - this time a civil war.

After these weeks of ringing with the trust of their country, the Queen was visibly exhausted. So was Azkadellia. None of them dared to bring it up, but in the end Glitch had found the courage to tell his sister that she needed a rest.

So it came to pass that Queen Ozma Lavender and Princess Azkadellia Mae were sent to the land of Ev in order to search for the missing family members of the Gale family, to spread the news of the witch’s death in their neighboring country, and in order to relax and come to terms with things that both had been too scared to talk about. Of course they were guarded by double the amount of protection, but after the riots had stopped and the people had shown their apologies and their gratitude towards the savior and the Queen , Ahamo and the rest let them go without protesting.

Now that people were willing to support the Royal family and get things straight again. Reconstruction could begin and organization flourish.

O.O.o.o

Reconstruction was managed by the Prince Consort and at times by Glitch who tried to remember his past as advisor with the help of Cain, but secretly it was D.G. who flourished in her task as Princess of the O.Z. Hours she would spent in Central, helping the people fixing buildings and streets. Weeks she would spend outside the walls of the city and help the farmers to restore their fields and to rebuild their homes.

Together the remaining royal family organized that children of the war were taken care of in orphanages, that the poor and victims of the war were brought to central where a place to sleep and a warm meal was waiting for them until it was possible to reintegrate them into the society again.

People gained more hope every day and they were grateful to receive so much kindness after they had attacked the Royal family for no reason. With eagerness every citizen had a share in bringing back the days before the witch.

Wyatt Cain, former Tin Man, now Captain of the Guard again, did everything he could to install the new protection detail and security system that would not only provide safety for Central but for all corners in the O.Z., may it be a little village or merely a collection of cabins in the woods. He used principles of the Resistant Fighters and their strategies to create a new training program for the future Tin Man which would be more than just policemen. They were a force –independent soldiers who could fight the crimes in town or chase down thieves outside the walls.

The work with the Resistance brought him closer to his son, but both of them were hesitant about topics from the past or any contact that was more than a handshake. Jeb showed him that he was willing to improve his attitude towards his father which gave Cain hope, but he knew that it would take annuals to regain the trust that he had lost back when Zero had trapped him in that Tin Suit.

Sometimes the remembering lessons with Glitch were fruitful but some days it was as if the Scarecrow’s mind was blank again, leaving no chance for Cain to break through and reach for his old friend. When Glitch had a good day they would even try and connect him to his brain again that was now resting in a separate room of the Central City palace, waiting for a day to be returned to Glitch’s body. Often the sessions with Raw and the brain were a success and more than once it seemed that Glitch could keep the memories that Ambrose had shared with him, but as often as they were successful they also failed. When Glitch and Ambrose were connected Cain would spent hours talking to his friend and the bond between them healed a lot during these conversations, however there was always the question if Ambrose would return to his old self one day, or if their contact would be reduced to conversations like this.

Often either of them would walk out of a session with an unreadable smile on their faces, other times depression replaced this joy. Secretly Cain was hoping for the Queen to come back so that she and her daughters could search for a solution and help his friend but when he remembered how weak Lavender had been he felt awful for his selfish hopes.

At days when Glitch had been connected to Ambrose, he would help Ahamo and the returned aristocracy, with reconstructing the political hierarchy of the land since he wouldn’t accept that something which had been his task was suddenly wrapped away from him due to his current situation. Brain or not he was still stubborn and strong headed enough to make his point and to show everyone in which position he was standing. Ahamo, who had never liked the authorities, was grateful for the help of his brother-in-law, and as one of a few he refused to believe that Glitch was nothing more than a millstone around their necks as some weren’t hesitant to say.

Despite of what some younger ambassadors said, the process of bringing back their old government was a long , hard and troublesome one. They needed every help that was offering itself to them, so if they wanted it or not they had to accept that Glitch was proving to be such a help so they ignored their closed-mindedness for once.

Originally they had planned to strengthen their power and the land's safety until the end of December and to celebrate a huge fest with the return of the Queen, but when winter came their forces where still too weak and the people needed food and a warm home rather than a ball or a fest. It was decided to celebrate once the Spring Equinox was near and they had assured that every citizen of the O.Z. had a restored home and at least one family member a job.

D.G. was glad to hear that the ball would wait, since she had dreaded this event whenever she had observed the servants talking about it in the halls. Like everyone she was slowly adjusting to her new life and the family she had lost. Thankfully the work in the city and on the fields and the absence of her mother enabled her to keep a distance to the dusty life within the palace walls. She believed that it would need more time to accept the lifestyle of the unknown, sometimes scary place. Her friends did their best to show her the positive aspects of leading a life as a princess but whatever they did, they couldn’t take away the feeling of being trapped in a birdcage. She hoped that everything would be different once she had spent more time with her sister and mother who, unlike her, were more used to this life and who as women would understand her in different ways than her male friends.

Cain proved to be a second father figure, continuing to take care of her and to protect her like he had done back on their journey as ‘outlaws’ to the witch. She was grateful for both the caring of Cain and of her father, although it was strange to think of Ahamo as the man who brought her into this life, after spending so many years in believing that Henry had been her dad.

Raw would stay until the Queen’s return, helping the people who had lost their family members with their pain and lending an ear and a soothing palm to anyone who needed it. He was the friend she needed when self-doubt was gnawing on her and when she was in desperate need for his indisputable gift of taking away her greatest fears and concerns.

Learning that Glitch, her very first companion, was her uncle hadn’t left the young girl unshaken. She was sorry for the things that had happened to him, although he emphasized that there had been victims of the witch who did far worse than him. As same as she tried to deepen the bond with her parents, mostly with her father during the absence of her mother, she spent a lot of time with the artificial man in order to build up a connection that would give both of them a closer feeling of family and belongingness. His witty jokes and his warm hearted attitude, wherever he took them from, often kept her going and cheered her up in times when the world outside and inside the palace where giving her a hard time.

All four of them got even closer during these couple of months like they had did down on the road and D.G. was thankful for each one of them.

Bonding with Azkadellia at times where everyone was pushing her away and treating her like a monster had been difficult, but she kept her promise and stayed with her through all the good and bad days before the sisters had parted to enable the elder one the rest she needed.

Hours they had just spent in Azkadellia’s room, talking or just sitting on the floor and shedding tears over the mistakes they had made and the past they had lost. Both had needed this time together and when Azkadellia had left for Ev, she had hugged her sister and told her all in private that she was grateful for D.G.’s help and that it had made her strong during the fearful days of the attacks. They had parted with a smile and with another promise that they would strengthen their relationship once Azkadellia had come to terms with her possession.

Her mother had been punished by guilt and she had feared that D.G. was lacking any trust towards her, but the young woman was nothing but happy to have her real family again. Like with her father, it was proving difficult to see the Queen as her mother but the beautiful woman had been with her all those years in her dreams which made it easier to form a bond with the lovely and caring ruler. It hurt her heart to see how the people treated both her sister and mother after the eclipse and the fall of the witch and she had been grateful when Glitch had found the courage to tell the two women that they should go and visit Ev for as long as they needed in order to gather new strength. The Queen as well had made the promise that they would become a real and close family once again and that she would make up for the time they had lost.

Weeks after the works in Central City had started the Cain family was faced with a surprise as long missed members of their family, suddenly showed up at the gates of the Palace. Elisabeth Cain was an old woman, with grey/white hair, wrinkly skin but with the same spirit and strength in her clear blue eyes. Anne Cain had gained some weight which only showed in form of muscles though, which only added to her beauty for she looked strong and feisty. She hadn’t lost any of her female features through the process of becoming a fighter in order to protect herself and her family. She had married a Resistant Fighter after her former husband had been killed during an attack of Longcoats. Together with the courageous man called Daniel Foleman she had led a life in the northern resistant camp together with her two daughters and her mother.

Cain had greeted both with tears in his eye , the three of them almost collapsing when they embraced after annuals of being apart and not knowing if either of them was still alive!! Elisabeth showed that she was still strong for her age when she nearly strangled her grandson Jeb, whom she observed with pride in her eyes. You could see that grandma and grandson fell in love in an instant and that Elisabeth might help Cain to get closer to his own son again.

Anne reported that two of their cousins had died, along with their aunt Pam but that Neal, Ty and Roland had grown into strong men which were all doing well and that their uncle Nathan was dying to see his youngest nephew. Cain had promised that he and Jeb would visit Old Creek soon, once business was calming down in Central. Never had he imagined that he would see members of his family alive again and the joy that filled his heart slowly melted the icy surface of the last corners inside of it.

His mother had shed a lot of tears once she learnt that Adora was dead, for she had loved her daughter in law and she was crying for the lost of her beloved son. In addition to that she had been shocked to see what had happened to Ambrose because she always had had a favor for the often silent and thoughtful man. Nevertheless, she was happy and grateful that the children she had seen growing into intelligent and lovely adults were alive and while she still was grieving for Adora she hugged everyone of her past tightly as if to emphasize that she wasn’t planning to leave them ever again.

And after months of reconstruction, reconciliation and peace the powerful Queen of the O.Z and her daughter returned from Ev, bringing more than just good news and new strength with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A:N: So this is the last part of my story . The first chapter is supposed to be a summary of the first 6 months after the Eclipse . Actually there isn’t much to say. I hope you enjoyed it and that everything made sense. Thanks for reading ;) I won’t be able to upload a new chapter next week but it will follow on Wednesday the 3rd of June .


	23. The Four  Nations

She found him sitting on a bench in the great gallery where three generations of their ancestors and family were looking back at them. Besides portraits of her grandparents, their cousins, aunts and uncles there was also a huge family portrait of their parents and them as children. It was one of the few that had been painted and which luckily had survived the reign of the witch. This particular portrait seemed to have completely mesmerized him, although it was hard to read any emotions on his face, a fact that caused her to feel that pain in her chest again. The face that used to resemble her's, like only the face of a twin could, was suddenly gone and familiar features or expressions were hard to find.

He didn’t notice when she sat down next to him, her hands resting close to his gloves, her eyes staring at the same portrait than him now. He didn’t smile in the picture…he never did. One time he had told her that he thought it was a lie to smile in a picture since the procedure of getting painted was such torture. The memory of that conversation made her laugh lightly which caused him to turn his head and look at the intruder of his privacy.

They hadn’t seen each other in weeks and she barely knew what to say to him.

“Lavender, I didn’t know you were back! How are you?” he exclaimed very friendly when his memory seemed to have processed that they had met before and that he knew who was sitting next to him. He could recall her name, this had still been difficult before their departure to Ev. He was making process, which filled her heart with hope and joy.

“I'm fine, Ambrose, thank you for asking. Actually we didn’t tell anyone that we would return sooner, we thought that might be a nice surprise for anyone." She smiled at him while her hand found his and delicate fingers brushed over the fabric of his gloves.

“Well, that certainly is a surprise!! We were all hoping that you would return soon, but we also wanted you to take the rest that you needed. There is so much that has happened during the last weeks that I don’t know where to begin… I've been connected to my brain a couple of times now, the Ozians are eagerly rebuilding their homes... Cain has…,” Glitch started to tell her enthusiastically and with a passion that amazed her. For a long time she had been hoping that she would be able to lead conversations with her brother again, like they had done so many times before the witch. She listened to him while he spoke in an overwhelming speed but had to stop him with a laugh when she lost track. It seemed like he hadn’t even noticed that he was rambling now.

“I can see that your ability to memorize events has increased during my absence but, honey, you need to slow down or I won’t be able to follow you much longer," she said with a kind hearted pat on his shoulder.

For a moment these brown buttons stared at her while his stitched mouth formed an unreadable slim line, suddenly he cocked his head to the side and the line formed something that got close to a sheepish grin. Although it wasn’t her brother’s real face that was looking back at her now she had to admit that it looked adorable and for a second she smiled back.

“I'm sorry, sometimes I don’t notice when I start to speak faster, must be because I don’t need breath or anything. You must be tired after all, let me bring you to your room," he said after she had returned the smile.

“Oh no. I’m fine really. Before we reached the city we visited one of the villages close to Central. We were welcomed with much kindness and open arms. We had a lot of time to rest. Now I want to spend some time with you," she countered, asking her brother to sit down again after he had grabbed her hand and raised from his seat in order to bring her to her chamber.

He obeyed and sat down again and sudden silence fell between them. They both raised their head at the same time and fixed on the family portrait before Lavender spoke again.

“Do you remember when that portrait was painted?” she whispered, her gaze never leaving their youthful faces on the canvas in front of them. Sadness was swinging in her voice but merely for a second since remembering still hurt, it was replaced by joy when she heard the sarcastic snort of her brother.

“Hard to forget a week like this isn’t it?” he asked rhetorically now fixing his gaze on her before both burst out into loud laughter.

“Mother had been so angry with us because we showed up with dirty clothes after a play in the woods with Anne and Wyatt. The painter actually had to wait until we changed clothes again and you were angry with me because the only clean uniform was the red one that you hated so much," Lavender snickered devilishly when she saw how the burlap contorted on Ambrose face.

“Yeah, but I got my revenge when Thea threw up on your dress because she had the flu, poor thing," Glitch remarked and they now had to laugh even more until they both stopped and sighed.

“All in all we turned the whole process of painting into one single pain, yet you all look so happy in that portrait. Told you that smiling would be a lie," Glitch added before they went silent again.

“I miss them, especially now that my daughters need their mother. I wish that I had our mother to talk to," Lavender said after the tears of their laughter had dried and they were facing the portrait again.

“Me too," Glitch whispered back and grabbed for his sister’s hand again.

For a long while they stayed in this silence and just looked at the picture from their past. Both of them were sad about the loss which suddenly washed over them, although it had happened a long time ago. Nevertheless they enjoyed each other’s company and unspoken comfort.

“Liz and Anne are alive, they arrived here two weeks ago," Glitch suddenly broke that silent moment, the news taking Lavender completely by surprise. Her hand shook in his grip and when he looked up he could see that she was crying.

“I always hoped that they would survive, but I can’t believe that the gods really have been so gracious," she exclaimed before she suddenly took her surprised brother into an embrace.

When they broke he saw that new tears of joy had formed in her eyes and he carefully brushed them away with his fingertip.

“I'm glad that you can remember things much easier now," she said, bringing a wider distance between their bodies again so that she got a good look at him. His features moved and he let out a sigh.

“Unfortunately I have to say that it only works when I’m having a good day. Talking like this… about my past really helps but I’m still not the man I used to be," he answered, rubbing the back of his straw filled head in the process.

She could feel that he was sad and desperate, although his face didn’t allow him to show it on the surface. A pang hit her chest, for all she wanted was for her family to get a second chance and that they would be able to mend the broken ends of the mess that the witch had left behind. Seeing her brother remembering his past had given her hope and strength, but now she realized that she had been selfish in that thought. Of course she only wanted the best for him and they both were aiming to reach the same goal but in the last weeks it had been all about her. Her wish to restore the land, her wish to help her brother, her wish to redeem herself and to make up for all the wrong decisions she had made, but never had she thought of the people themselves, how they felt in their situation, how they were dealing with the pain and loss.

“I promised I would help you and now that I'm back I will do everything I can to restore you to your body. I have been away for my own good far too long . If today is a good day we might start now and leave the conversation for later. Come, I have to show you something," she said with determination and jumped up from her place on the bench before she grabbed her brother’s hand and pulled him onto his feet.

His mouth was opened in a gap and his burlap crinkled, which was the only way in which he could show confusion, but Lavender didn’t waste any time to explain what she had meant. With a strong grip on his wrist she pulled him through the corridors of the palace and made her way to the big dining room with destined steps.

“Actually, we had planned to wait until dinner tonight where every one of you would be present, but I guess a change of plans is necessary now. I’m sorry that I didn't t notice it earlier…I really should have since we’re still twins. I know that you can’t show much emotions, but it should have been evident to me. I'm so sorry!” Lavender explained while they were walking very quickly through the mostly abandoned halls, passing a guard here and there, ignoring the stiff salutes with which they were greeted. Glitch suddenly stopped at his sister’s remark causing her to bounce back and fall against his chest from the sheer force of his abrupt move.

“Ozma wait!” he exclaimed and she looked up to him with a surprised expression written on her face.

“There is no need to rush things now. You have been away because you needed to. You were weak and all the work left you stressed out. Azkadellia needed that break and most importantly she needed her mother. My body won’t just fall apart any minute so I guess it doesn’t matter when we are going to do something. It is true that I’m longing to be reconnected with my past and with the things I lost, but what I want more than that is for everyone to be happy as well. If you’re feeling guilty let me tell you that there is no need to, since this is neither your fault nor Azkadellia’s and I'm not making either of you responsible for this, so please don’t feel like you have to do everything you can to fix me. We will manage this... somehow... but first and foremost this is my problem, understood?” he told her with that posture of his which he had often enough used to make a point in front of the Ozian Council at political interrogations.

His voice was almost forceful but she knew that it was only the determination behind the words which made it seem as if he was yelling at her. It was a hundred percent of the old Ambrose and it made her shiver. Tears were glistening in her eyes but she repressed them. If she knew one thing for sure it was to listen to her brother and to have faith into his words, since he often enough had been right with his assumptions. Still being a little bit in trance she nodded her head which caused him to visibly relax.

They continued their journey to the dining room at a much slower pace, his gloved hands brushing her's whenever they walked closer to each other. The great wooden door, with the filigree carved ornaments and the golden handles was closed when they arrived.

“Ev hasn’t changed a bit. The Queen and her children have even blossomed throughout the years. She is awaiting her 26th grandchild, her eldest daughter is pregnant again. Nevertheless, she was relieved to hear that the war in Oz is over and that the witch is gone. Whenever news had reached them from our land she had wanted to send her soldiers to help, but she always memorized your words of advice, that she should wait in order to protect her own land. She feared that something might happen to Ev and her family but she also felt guilt when she thought about the sacrifices being made in Oz. She was very friendly to us and gave us shelter as long as we needed, there she also reunited us with the ones which were lost to us….," Lavender whispered dramatically before she pushed the doors open and revealed what was waiting behind.

Most of the dining room was empty since it was still in the middle of the day and the servants were spending their time after breakfast with taking a rest before they had to prepare the big dinner which spontaneously had been planned due to the return of the Queen and her daughter.

No dishes were resting on the long table in the middle of the room, and the chairs were abandoned except for two at the end of the great hall, where two beautiful women were sitting and chatting.

One of them was wearing a rose colored long dress that almost touched the ground, which revealed beautiful silver pumps and delicate white legs. The fabric fully covered her cleavage and arms and the perfectly fitted cut underlined her curves. Long blond hair fell down over her shoulders in waves, her red lips slightly pursed when she talked. When she heard them coming she fixed her gaze on Glitch with deep sparkling blue eyes.

Next to her sat a slightly taller and thinner women with less curves and shorter straight brown hair. She was wearing a long dark blue dress like her companion, but her's was partly covered with fur due to the decreasing temperatures that still dominated Ev after their departure. Her skin was a bit darker which indicated that she had spent the summer in the sun, maybe hard at work as it used to be one of her habits. Their mother had always tried to get rid of it, but her middle child had always loved to work in the gardens. With serious amber eyes she observed the newcomers as well and when they had reached the end of the table she raised.

“Amelia?” Glitch asked in disbelief as his younger sister was standing in front of him, her hands casually resting on her hips as if she inherited this posture. His gaze wandered to the woman still sitting on her spot next to the table and if it had been possible, his throat had went dry at this moment.

“And my sweet Thea, is that really you?” he added wishing that tears could show what he was trying to feel right now.

“You act as if we’re two mirages, therefore it should be our turn to be surprised! Geez, Ambrose, I hope you know that you used to look much better than this!” Amelia remarked dryly, leaving Glitch staring at her with mouth wide open. His sister looked at him sternly before she broke out into loud laughter and embraced him with a strong grip.

“Oh, I have missed you so much Ambrose. Yes it is true, we are still alive, thanks to you and the generous Queen of Ev. I can’t believe that the witch really did this to you. I’m sorry for my remark, but this has been all too much for me. I’m just glad to be back and to know that my family is still alive," she said and he could hear her sobbing. When she was finished, she cupped his face in her hands and smiled at him whole heartedly.

“I'm sorry for the dry joke, I shouldn’t have played with your concern but I've never been good in handling situations like this...," she added before Glitch could say something.

“Welcome back," he responded weakly still being shocked by her sudden outburst but happy that she hadn’t changed …at least from what he could recall of her.

Thea was hesitant and still sitting on her chair, her hands were formed into tight fists as they rested on her legs and tears were running down her face. Her brother kneeled down to be on the same eye level and placed his hands at one of the fists, she was trembling with either anger or sadness, both causing him to approach a conversation very carefully.

“Words probably can’t tell how sorry I am, but I hope that one day you can forgive me," he whispered hoping that only she would hear it.

He had an assumption why she was acting like this. He had seen it during one of his sessions with Ambrose. Weeks after the attack on the palace, the day when a bomb had exploded at the outer walls close to the gardens, the day when he had urged Cain to leave, Ambrose had decided to bring his two sisters and their families to their neighboring country Ev. 

It had all happened in one night and only with the help of some magic. Usually a traveling group as big as theirs would have needed weeks to travel the southern territories and to pass the Deadly Desert. With more help from their old friend the Mystic Man though they had managed to reach Ev within hours.

Night had given them cover and prevented them from getting caught. Ambrose had planned everything in detail, looking for the perfect day when the witch was least attentive and when his duties weren’t needed. He had to return in one day so that no one notice his missing. The witch wanted to see all of their heads rolling and he wouldn’t allow it. Neither Thea nor Amelia had enough magic to protect themselves, like their sister they were getting weaker every day. For many days they had argued if it was fair towards their country to leave and hide, robbing them of the support of two other magicians, but the Queen had begged them to leave. She had explained to them that D.G. would need guidance, that Ahamo was waiting for her in the Realm of the Unwanted but that she needed all the help she could get, that she needed a family if the witch decided to kill her and that their land needed a ruler if she was about to die and the witch defeated.

Fearing that their decision could have terrible consequences they had refused at first, but after a second attack, this time in the inner court of the palace both had been so shaken that they agreed to leave to Ev.

The night when Ambrose had brought them to the Queen of Ev his sister had asked him to stay with them. He had refused and that had broken her heart. Many years she spent in grief, not forgiving him that he had forced them into abandoning their home for their own protection.

“This shouldn’t have happened….," she returned through gritted teeth. Slowly she raised her head, her hair falling back during that movement , revealing red rimmed eyes which fixed him with an angry, frightening glare.

“This …your state …is completely unnecessary. This all wouldn’t have happened if you had listened to me! I asked you to stay with us in Ev but, you stubborn pain in the bum, were too proud to leave our home without your protection! Lavender could have managed it on her own, when she accepted to send the last remaining magic away she also accepted that she would have to face her daughter on her own so she didn’t need you. She had Ahamo even if he was hiding, she had advisors that were almost as brilliant and skilled as yourself and she had the Mystic Man! You knew that you were one of her targets as well, so why did you refuse? How could you be such an idiot?!?” she now yelled at him, her hands flinging around in furious gestures.

As he had expected she blamed him for doing the one thing that had settled his fate and he didn’t blame her, however, he still thought about it like he had all those years ago so he prepared to answer her truthfully.

“And don't tell me that she needed you more than us! You can’t tell us that we shouldn’t feel guilty for leaving and then leave off yourself because you wouldn’t want to betray the country," Thea finished, making her point.

“You’re right. Doing that was really hypocritical of me but when you want to protect what is most precious to you, you become the most devastated, nasty and foolish reflection of yourself. Bringing you to Ev wasn’t fair, I know…we know that you wanted to protect the country as well and we didn’t send you away because we thought you are weak. Lavender however, was right when she told you that D.G. would need a family. Too many people were dying because of the witch and just like all of us, you didn’t deserve to become victims. Maybe we shouldn’t have tried to be ‘heroic’ and sent you to a safe haven, but you saw the most horrible things yourself, parents losing their children, families losing their homes, children becoming orphans. We acted hastily and out of deep love but we didn’t have the right to take this decision from you. I’m sorry but back then it was the best decision in both our eyes. The witch was searching for something in my laboratory and she wouldn’t have stopped torturing others, destroying the palace or searching for me until she would be able to wrap her claws around the plans she was looking for. Everything would have been wasted if I had stayed with you! She wanted to kill you but once she understood that it was hopeless to search for you, she concentrated all her anger onto something new. If those plans were so important to her, that she didn’t hesitate to rip out my brain, she wouldn’t have hesitated to hunt us down and kill all three of us." When he ended Thea’s face had turned from red to a decent rose color and her hands had stopped shaking.

He could see that she wasn’t pleased with his answer, but when she didn’t reply he knew that she would try to accept it. She never started an argument when she respected the answer of her opponents but she usually said something when she agreed or shared their opinion. This time wasn’t different. She had made good points and she had every reason to be angry with him. They had betrayed their sisters and sent them away as if they were afraid that they would prove to be too weak to handle a war and that was something that was unforgivable. He understood that she may never agree with him but he was glad that she respected his reasons for leaving them behind and that was something he really loved her for. 

When it was certain that both of them had stopped yelling at each other, Lavender tried to lighten up the mood, so she suggested a walk through the gardens that at the end of winter were slowly starting to bloom here and there. She herself had had this conversation with Thea weeks ago, when they still had been in Ev, and like her brother she knew that Thea would never fully forgive them but that their relationship would heal.

“Just one moment," her youngest sister replied before she finally rose from her chair.

Both Lavender and Ambrose proved to be right with their assumption that Thea still loved them and that broken ends could be mended when the Duchess pulled her cursed brother into a long and heartfelt hug.

“I'll let time decide if there is a way to heal my wounds but I want to let you know that we both had our reasons and that the past can’t be changed. I will always love you and now that I made my point it may never come between us again. I just freaking care for you, so you better find a way to reverse this spell," she whispered in his ear and released him with a kiss on his forehead.

O.O.O.O.O.O.

It had been cold but beautiful in the gardens and the four siblings had spent their time after the reunion talking. Ambrose was curious to hear more about the life of his sisters. He kept walking in the middle while Thea and Amelia both took one of his arms and cornered him on both sides. Lavender slowly walked behind them, watching the peaceful scene of her family with a smile on her face.

Long before Azkadellia’s possession both sisters had married, Thea an advisor from Winkieland, a young man called Phillip who was the Earl of Kiamo Ko. The calculating and thoughtful man had always impressed Ambrose with his clear mind and straightforwardness and he was happy to hear that their marriage was blooming and that his sister had given birth to a boy named Marcus and a girl named Dawn.

Amelia had married an Earl from Quadling Country , a secretive and mysterious man named George. Unlike Philip neither Ambrose nor Lavender had liked him very much, but they had seen the love between the two and all they wanted was for their sister to be happy. Quadling and Munchkinland were the weakest and poorest areas of Oz and when the war had started, the witch’s forces hit them the hardest. As one of the Earls George had dedicated all his strength and knowledge to the protection of Quadling but all the responsibility weighted heavy on his shoulders. He got distant and broody, avoiding the light and dwelling in his fear. One day a servant found him hanging from the ceiling, a terrible sight that was luckily speared from Amelia but it hadn’t lessened the grief and guilt. Many years she would make herself responsible for not being able to offer him the help and comfort he had needed.

Change and love came in Ev and after spending a decade alone, she opened herself to the affection of another man. He worked for the council in Ev and he was an ambassador of the Queen. Felix Tubailt was a man whose head was sometimes high up in the clouds, but also a man who knew what he wanted and how to get it. Hard work and dedication had brought him into his position and he was who brought back the smile onto Amelia’s face.

O.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.

At the long awaited dinner, an event that came close to a little fest, long lost family members and friends had come together to celebrate the defeat over the darkness. Thea and Amelia almost stumbled over their own feet when they jumped into the open arms of Wyatt and Anne Cain. They proceeded much carefully with Elisabeth, but the old lady urged them to give her the strong hug that she deserved.

The room was filled with laughter and stories of the past, of happier times and a bright future. Glitch was introduced to his niece Dawn who was 9 and his nephew Marcus who was 7 annuals old. Marcus looked a lot like his mother, having the same golden blond hair color of his grandfather, their father Richard. Dawn had Thea’s blue eyes but her hair was as black as night like Phillip’s. A lot of feelings and new impressions, something he had to deal with more often after being connected to Ambrose, were rushing through his body and he could tell that he loved both his niece and nephew with all his heart. It was nice to see his brother-in-law Philip again and he and Felix got along right from the beginning. No one excluded the man made of straw who more than once felt accepted among his family.

D.G., who like others of the next generation, had never met any of her other family members before, and was overwhelmed from the unconditional love and interest with which she was faced. She felt a close connection especially to her aunt Amelia because she liked her direct and often dry attitude. Azkadellia had blossomed in Ev when her family had welcomed her with open arms and slowly she was regaining the trust she had lost many years ago.

The celebrations got even more cheerful when Amelia announced that she and Felix were planning to marry and awaiting a child, causing Liz to burst out into tears. Amelia had been showered with hugs and wishes of congratulation afterwards. The men had patted Felix on his shoulder and welcomed the man into the family.

D.G. and Azkadellia had observed everything from a distance, their hands always entwined.

“I'm glad to see them all so happy, it have been long weeks of work," D.G. said when she watched how Thea, Anne , Liz and their mother were circling Amelia and touching her belly in fascination. They had started to exchange experiences in order to prepare the mother for her first born. Everyone was surprised to hear the good news since nobody had believed that the woman would get pregnant at 42, but they were all happy for her.

“And long weeks of even more work will follow, but yes it is nice to see how everything is changing for the better. It...it helps a lot to see that the people are recovering," Azkadellia answered while the last part almost disappeared in a whisper while her grip got tighter.

“I hope you remember my promise," D.G. asked searching for her sister’s gaze. The young woman first avoided it but then she fixed her eyes on her sister’s.

“I do and I know what you want to say but let us watch how our family is celebrating and face the troubles another day. Tomorrow …tomorrow we may start, but tonight belongs to them," Azkadellia answered and a faint smile formed on her lips.

She was referring to the promise that Azkadellia would teach D.G. how to use her magic and that they would work on their relationship in the process. D.G. would tell Azkadellia about her time in Kansas on the Otherside and she would help her sister to regain the trust of the people and to come to peace with her past.

D.G. accepted her sister’s wish and only nodded in approval when she saw that her sister needed this last night to face her inner demons alone and she gave it to her.

“Tomorrow we will be ready for another change," she replied faintly as they watched their family laughing , chatting and dancing through the night.

0.O.O.O..O.O.o.O.o.o

“The Old Library of Oz," Thea announced proudly, a couple of days after the big dinner.

She, Amelia, Lavender and Glitch were sitting in the Queen’s old office surrounded by hundreds of books that were scattered around the whole room. Thea, who was sitting on the floor in an unladylike manner, had just closed one of the books with a sigh and stretched her legs after exhausting hours of looking for a spell that could help their brother.

“The Old Library of Oz?” her sister, Amelia, who was sitting on a bench near the window, asked in return.

“Maybe they have the right book there. I remember the sparkling look in our mother’s eyes whenever she mentioned the old library. It is said that they have the biggest collection of ancient books that have ever been written and luckily most of them have been untouched by the witch. Actually, I thought you would be the one suggesting it, Brosey, you did spend hours inside that building," Thea continued and turned her head to her brother who was sitting in a chair next to Lavender’s big desk.

“And yet it didn’t come to my mind. Told you that some days are worse than others," Glitch answered and rubbed his forehead as if he was feeling something.

“Oh and I told you to stop calling me Brosey. THAT is something I DO remember," he added, ignoring the smug grin on his sister’s face when he scolded her.

“Azkadellia mentioned that she remembered the spell from an ancient book, maybe you once showed it to her in the library," Lavender, who was sitting behind her desk, suggested.

“But that was years ago. What if this particular book is one of those that the witch didn’t leave untouched? If the book contained such a spell it must have been to her interest," Amelia countered causing a silence among the siblings.

“She wouldn’t have been able to read it," Glitch answered all of a sudden and all eyes went in his direction.

The Scarecrow looked up with his look of confusion when he noticed that all eyes were fixed on him now and his hand went up to scratch his head- a sign that he was nervous ..and that he had just glitched.

“What do you mean she wouldn’t have been able to read it?” Thea asked carefully, hoping that they had just been lucky. But Glitch cocked his head and let out a sigh.

“I did say something unusual again, didn’t I?” he asked and the women’s hope sank.

“You said that the witch probably didn’t look for the book because she wouldn’t have been able to read it," Lavender repeated and reassuringly squeezed her brothers hand.

They all prepared for Glitch’s excuse which usually followed, a habit that he had developed and that they secretly hoped he would drop again soon. It wasn’t his fault and he shouldn’t feel like he needed to apologize. But he surprised them all.

“Oh right, I remember now!” he exclaimed leaving his sister’s staring at him in surprised shock.

“Books like that are protected with a powerful spell which only allows members of the Royal family to read them. If other Ozians want to read the books they need a member of our family who opens the book for them and who orders the book to reveal its content. I learnt that from the Liberian. It is something that remained of Glinda the Good. Looks like she thought that spells like this should be kept a secret and only accessible in great times of despair to Dorothy’s family. Azkadellia’s blood and soul were poisoned by the witch so I doubt that the wise magic of Glinda let itself be tricked by the witch in Royal disguise," the Scarecrow answered with a grin on its face.

His sisters couldn’t help but be surprised at the very detailed reply of their cursed brother.

“How is it possible that you can remember that although you sometimes even forget your own name?” Thea asked after she had found her voice again, her sisters seemed to feel the same way for they nodded in unison as if they wanted to show their approval.

Glitch cocked his head which mostly was a sign to them that he was thinking or trying to remember something. This time it wasn’t any different.

“Fate maybe?? Destiny?? I don’t know how this magic inside me works and how it is possible that I can remember certain things better than others, or that some days are better and some are worse, but maybe it is trying to push me. Maybe it wants to help me find the solution to this problem. Maybe we should listen to it and follow your advice, Thea, and look for something in the library," Glitch said thoughtfully, spreading a collective silence in the Queen’s office .

0.0.o.O.o.o.O.O.

In the end they all had agreed that they could still look for another solution if the library didn’t offer them what they needed, so instead of wasting more time they had made their way to the ancient building next to the market place of Central City.

The librarian who looked as if he was as old as the library itself welcomed them with a warm smile and a heartfelt greeting. The Royal family, who had sponsored the construction of the building decades ago and who had also helped to finance the restoring of some parts of the library, was always welcome in those halls of wisdom.

When the siblings had shown him their trust and told him about their plans he had led them to the rooms far underneath the ground floor where a maze of books was waiting for the only ones who were permitted to read them –the ancestors of Dorothy Gale.

Fortunately, the books had never let him down and refused to show their content when the witch had visited those corridors, and he was glad that he would be able to witness once again which magic was revealed when one of the siblings opened a book.

For hours the four Royals searched in the dusty shelves. The moisture, which luckily couldn’t harm the books, was thickening the air around them with every minute and the gloomy atmosphere soon pulled at their nerves. All the books that could be found about both ancient and new magic were stored underground, but even after half a day of looking and reading the siblings hadn’t found any spell that could help them.

With fading hope and sunken hearts they had left the Old Library again as the sun had started to set and the air outside got chillier.

The next day only Amelia and Ambrose returned to the place because the Queen had to arrange a meeting while Thea had promised her children to show them around Central City.

Their search started as it had the day before, the light was dimmed, the books were often so old that they had to be very careful and it seemed that even now there was no answer to be found. Helplessly they roamed through the shelves and studied the books, their hope to find something slowly fading again until Amelia suddenly let out an exclamation of triumph.

“Glitch! You have to see this!” she screamed from a corner at the end of the second corridor to the left.

Glitch who had been searching at the corridor right next to her, rushed around the book shelf and hurriedly approached his sister.

“Have you found something?” he asked her hopefully as Amelia turned a book in a red leathery cover to him.

“Maybe. This is a book of ancient spells and potions. While the other books of this kind only dealt with the basic practices of magic and witchcraft this one here seems to concentrate on the defense against curses and forbidden spells," Amelia explained to him.

“I found a spell which claims to return something that has been taken from you. I'm not sure if it could return your body but I guess it is worth a try…," she added before she was stopped by a surprising hug of her brother.

“That’s it!!! Amelia you’re a genius! Whoever said that I’m the most brilliant being in Oz was wrong," he exclaimed joyfully before he grabbed her hands and started bouncing around like a little child. Amelia had to stop him before he would jump against one of the shelves but she couldn’t suppress a laugh herself.

“Easy there, destroying the underground system of the Old Library won’t be beneficial now," she snickered and carefully touched her brothers shoulder to make him stop.

“Bouncing around is too childish after all, isn’t it?” Glitch asked sheepishly after he had composed himself again .

“A little bit, but you have every reason to be happy, this might be the key," Amelia answered, raising the book to underline her statement .

“Then let’s go to the palace and see what this spell has in store for us," Glitch announced.

This time they left the library in the early afternoon when citizens of Oz were going about their daily routine and the city was full of life and people. They thanked the old librarian for his help and quickly made their way back to the palace and the other two siblings.

O.o.O.O.O.O

They had had to wait for a few hours before Thea had returned from her day with her children and until the Queen was finished with arranging the meeting with her ambassadors, so they didn’t meet before the evening.

“You found something!!! That is amazing! Where? In which book?” Thea stormed into the Queen’s office with a whole list of questions in her mind. She was the last one to join their little group which meant that they could begin to try the spell any minute.

“Why don’t you sit down first my dear? And close the door please," Ozma welcomed her in her queenly manner, something for which she had needed years until perfection.

Thea obeyed her orders and when she had closed the door she seated herself on one of the chairs that were standing around the Queen’s table. Glitch and Amelia were already sitting towards their sister Ozma who had placed herself behind the cherry wood desk which was forming her working space. In front of Ozma lay an opened middle sized book with yellowish-white pages that were filled with precise delicate handwriting and resting in a red leather binding .

“To your questions. Amelia found it in one of the shelves that was deeper in the back. It rested in the section about ancient spells and magic. It’s a book which is specialized on curses, and we hope that this particular spell might help me because it claims to return something that has been lost," Glitch summed up his sister’s discovery when Thea had joined them at the table.

“And you think that it will work?” Thea asked suspiciously." We lost a lot of things in the last few years, that spell could return anything but your body,'" she added silently.

“That is true but it’s worth a try at least, don’t you think?” Ozma asked and Thea nodded .

“I don’t want you to be disappointed if it doesn’t work that’s all," the youngest of the siblings turned around to face her brother. Glitch returned the gaze and grabbed for his sister's hand .

“I will try to stay hopeful if this spell fails, I promise you that," he replied kindly. “What do you think, Ozma, shall we try the spell now?” he added enthusiastically, as his sister didn’t look all too concerned anymore.

For a moment Ozma kept looking at the book instead of her brother, her eyes scanned the words in front of her thoughtfully and her gaze turned into a skeptical one.

“When I gave up most of my magic to save D.G., I knew that it would never fully return again but I was willing to pay that price to rescue my daughter. This spell requires powerful and strong magic. I won’t be able to do this on my own, but hopefully it will work with your help," the Queen then explained now facing her two sisters.

“I know that you have magic as well Ambrose, but right now that’s the only thing assuring us that you will stay alive and active in this form so I don’t want you to risk anything by using that magic," she added when she interpreted the crunched look on her brother’s artificial face as that of being hurt.

He nodded when he seemed to understand.

“Looks like this is going to be harder than I thought. Thea and I haven’t used magic in years. As Queen you always have been the powerful one and in Ev we simply didn’t need our magic," Amelia told them almost sounding frustrated, but as he had convinced his sister Thea to be more positive Glitch also took Amelia’s hand this time and encouraged her to at least try it for him and that he wouldn’t be mad if they failed.

With new hope they gathered all their magic inside of them and when Ozma gave them a sign that she was ready to recite the lines of the spell Thea and Amelia stood up and joined their sister behind the table. Hands entwined they began humming the spell together, ordering Glitch to be silent and to not move on his seat.

When the last verse was spoken and the last word left their lips they concentrated all their power on the spell and Ambrose. Night had fallen outside and only the lamps at the corner of the room and on the table were spending them light, the rest of the room lay in shadowy darkness. Although it was almost spring the air around them seemed to decrease and get cooler with every second and although the three sisters felt hot from the magic, it send a shiver down their spines.

The lamps started to flicker when the magic left their hands and disappeared into their brothers body, the man himself shaking as the mere force of the spell entered him.

When they were sure that all the magic had vanished into their brother and the spell was sealed, the sisters let themselves sink onto their chairs, while their heads were lightly spinning and their mouths felt dry.

The light in the room suddenly increased as if something had pushed away the shadows and when they regained some of their strength again they could see that their brother still looked the same but that he wasn’t moving.

“Ambrose are you all right?” Amelia asked, walking to her brother and laying a hand on his knee. Ambrose reacted to the touch by lightly jumping when he noticed the pressure.

He turned his head to his sister and faced her with hollow button eyes and stitched mouth slightly ajar.

“I’m afraid it didn’t work," Thea said as she saw the questioning look on her brother’s face.

Glitch starred back at them without giving a response, probably disappointed about the failure after all.

The three sisters exchanged a knowing sad look with each other, not knowing what to do or say to comfort their brother. Each of them had hoped that the spell would return his body to him, each of them had thought that their magic was strong enough and after days of looking for a solution they were still facing a dead end.

“This isn’t the brain room," Glitch then exclaimed out of a sudden and all faces turned around to him.

“What did you just say, honey?" Ozma asked, surprised as her brother stood up from his chair and started to walk around the room nervously.

“This isn’t the tank in the provisory brain room …this …this is your office. You hated it when you first saw it after the architect showed it to you. You said that it looked far too bourgeois for your taste and you wanted him to change a couple of things," Glitch said hastily, still moving around and confusing his sisters even more.

“What are you talking about? Are you sure that you’re all right?" Amelia asked from her seat, trying to catch Ambrose's attention.

“Oh, I’ve never felt better before. I can’t believe this. I can remember again…everything …do you hear me? I can remember who I am, who you are, who I’ve been! That’s what the spell returned. The other half of my brain! Well the other part of what used to be me …still don’t know how the whole brain thing is working in an inhuman body," Glitch exclaimed now more joyfully leaving his sisters staring at him in utter shock.

“You mean that you have a fully functioning mental process again?” Ozma asked catching her breath from the surprise.

“Correct!” Ambrose said now sitting down on his chair.

“That…..is …unbelievable …it worked …it returned something!” Thea said with tears running down her cheeks.

“So there must be a spell that can return my body as well," Glitch responded to her with a plastered grin.

“You are going to keep your promise then, and not give up?”she asked her brother when he had shared his hopeful beliefs.

“Not one second, this is just the beginning and assured me that it is possible," he countered.

His other sisters were still too shocked to reply or to join the conversation and when Glitch had made sure that everyone believed his joy he announced that he would go and tell the others about their partial success.

He wanted to give them time to progress the happenings of the last hour and he himself would need some time to come to terms with what had just happened to him.

Yes, he was disappointed and very grateful for the fact that he couldn’t fully show emotions on his face. Yes, he had wanted the spell to work and yes he would spend some time with grieving as best as he could, but he hadn’t lied to his sisters. If a spell like this and their magic was powerful enough to return the other half of a human brain to him, then it should be possible to reverse the curse completely. They only needed more time to study the books and right now he needed the support of a certain Tin Man to help him sort his mind.

He couldn’t wait to see the look on Cain’s face and he prepared for the hug he was secretly hoping to receive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: All right yes it’s not Wednesday the 3rd of June but I made a mistake the last time I published a chapter. Tomorrow I’m not home too so I will publish my newest chapter today hooray ;) This one has a focus on the Royal family and please let me know if it’s too sappy unrealistic or weird. I’m not really good in writing magical scenes either so tell me if you think the ‘magic sequence’ was lame. I hope you enjoyed it and had fun . More to come ^^


	24. The Blossoming Flower of the Spring Ball

The witch was dead.

For more than half a year the witch was dead and the land of Oz, or the O.Z., was free again.

Months of hard work were laying not only behind the Royal family and their closest friends, but now every citizen was looking back at weeks of hard labor and the organization of their new or old homes. Villages that needed support in winter could now live on their own and people who suffered from lack of food were slowly raising their stocks again.

The country and its people were blossoming and cheerful. Of course it would need more than the last few months to provide the wealth and carefreeness from the past, but life had improved and everyone was willing and happy to celebrate this victory with a colorful fest. 

Now that everything was slowly starting to settle in, the Royals had announced that there would be a huge ball in honor of the upcoming Spring Equinox and the return of Princess D.G.. All citizens were invited and free to join the festivities that took place all around Central City.

Neighboring countries like Ix and Ev had been invited and delegates as well as ambassadors from all parts of Oz had announced they would come. For the next couple of weeks all that the city and its people were concerned with was the preparation for the ball, one that each of them hoped would become a day of remembrance and peace.

O.O.O.O.o.O.o.O.O

D.G.’s thoughts were twisted when she observed herself in the mirror. Years ago she had liked to wear a dress for her prom night, and in theory she didn’t have anything against dresses. They were pretty and she liked how the pumps made her legs look thinner and as if they were longer. 

Truth being told, it wasn’t the most comfortable way of dressing and it was annoying to walk as if she had swallowed a stick but like every woman it made her feel elegant and special. Tonight, however, she felt completely different than during her prom night, although she only looked slightly different.

According to her mother, sister and aunts it was tradition that the women of the Gale family wore a long, either strapless or fully closed dress in mostly decent natural colors. 

Green was a favorite because it symbolized their families history and their status as Royal family, but dark blue, lavender or a golden crème color belonged to the long time favorites as well. Shoes and accessories would be fitted with the color of the dress and the tiara she would have to wear.

In the end D.G. had decided to wear a long strapless dress in a shade of midnight blue. The fabric was soft and caressed her skin with every movement, it felt light and shimmered when the lights above her touched it. Since it matched her eye color and emphasized her pale skin she had chosen this dark and mesmerizing color. No one would see her shoes, but her mother had insisted that she should wear high heels, but like her aunt Thea, she felt comfortable with the much more flattering version of high heels and so her mother had accepted the pair of silver pumps that D.G. was now wearing. Her hands and arms were covered by long black gloves, her cleavage was covered by a glistening masterpiece of a necklace and her ears were decorated with matching earrings.

Her make-up looked beautiful but to her joy it was kept to a minimum, to ensure that everyone could enjoy the natural beauty of her face and to avoid that anyone could think she was vain. Her hair was a clever combination of a ponytail and an updo, part of her hair resting on the top of her head in a bun while the rest fell down on her shoulders in smooth waves. Like her dress, her hair was shimmering with little crystals that were resting between her waves, only underlining the silver tiara that was resting on the top of her head. The tiara was kept traditional and showed the letters O and Z, which entwined to the name of their country in the middle of her tiara. It was a light silvery metal with a thin band which made it look as if it consisted of little branches and silver flowers.

She thought that she looked stunning, she couldn’t deny that, however it was a strong reminder that she wouldn’t be dancing with her crush and among friends in the old gym of her high school but among skilled dancers, members of aristocracy and probably an assorted number of sticks in the mud. The familiar feeling of discomfort and nausea started to develop in her tummy and for a second she had to steady herself on the frame of the mirror.

“It is common that people wear light colors like lime green and lavender for the Spring Equinox, but it looks like we two prefer to act against these standards." She heard a voice approaching from the door causing her heart to stop for a moment. Never being a fan of people walking into her room without knocking she turned around with a furious look on her face although she had to admit that she was happy to have some company.

“Glitch, I thought my heart would stop. Ever heard of knocking?!?” She pressed through gritted teeth before she throw a wicked smile at him and invited him to step closer.

Glitch had stopped in the middle of the room when D.G. had scolded him but now he made his way to the mirror and stopped behind her. The line on his burlap was formed into a smile and he placed one hand on his niece's shoulder.

Like he had indicated he was wearing a short dark blue military jacket that was part of the royal garb and one of his uniforms. A pair of black trousers and shining black shoes and a lots of medals also belonged to his outfit. Out of all his uniforms he preferred the blue one so his decision had been easy. Since he was part of the family, and they were having a royal ball, he had to wear a crown but like D.G.’s tiara he was only wearing a simple silver band with the traditional Oz ornament and additional engravings on the band. It was strange to see his usually bald head with the crown decorating it but he wore it with dignity and a skilled posture of his body.

Together they observed each other in the mirror before both of them sighed simultaneously. Glitch let go of D.G.’s shoulder as the woman turned around and walked to her bed where she carefully sank onto the mattress.

“Do you think that this outfit will help me to feel more… I don’t know... like a princess?” D.G. asked, softly flinging her feet while her gaze rested on her glistening shoes.

Slowly Glitch walked to the corner of her bed and joined her.

“I’m sure that it will help with your posture and it might help you to feel more confident. But how to feel like a princess is something you have to make out for your own. I guess dresses and a cheering crowd only come along with that kind of ‘job’. It will need time, but you will fit in," he answered and mimicked his niece by staring at his shoes as well.

D.G. nodded, a gesture that Glitch couldn’t see since he was looking down. 

She knew that it would ruin her hair but the anxiety that was building up made her feel even more dizzy so she needed to lie down. A lot of different thoughts were rushing through her mind and nothing seemed to distract her. When Glitch noticed the nervous shift, he let his gloved hand glide to her fingers and comfortingly touched them.

“There is no need to be afraid. They will love you and they won’t allow you to feel uncomfortable… our family will find a way to make you feel like you belong and that’s what’s so special about them," he told her reassuringly his hands never leaving hers.

She didn’t doubt that her family and friends would be there for her and that the nobility would let her be since she was the princess, but nevertheless it scared her that she would be the center of attention in merely an hour.

“How are you feeling about it?” Knowing that he was the only other member of their family who would be a surprise to the ‘cheering crowd’, as Glitch called them, she secretly hoped that he would be the one who knew how nervous and desperate she was feeling.

Indeed, he didn’t speak for a while after this, his legs shifting uneasily, his head slowly falling back so that he could watch the ceiling in silence.

“It is strange to be reconnected with the other half of my brain and still be a Scarecrow.... It frustrates me that the spell couldn’t reverse that, but I learnt a long time ago that it’s best to concentrate on your friends in these royal events, and to be kind to everyone else no matter if you like them or not. These balls are supposed to strengthen the relationship between the countries and the nations of Oz and they should be peaceful. Conflicts are reserved for Royal meetings. You can’t please anyone especially not at such events, so just smile and listen carefully when someone talks to you. That people stare is a fact that will never change and I've got used to it a long time ago. If you try to listen to these rules you should be fine and I will do the same. All in all these balls can be a pain or real fun, since our dear Mr. Cain promised that he would dance today I assume that it will be an unforgettable night," Glitch ended with a snicker and a shake of his head, probably at the image of Mr. Cain trying to dance.

D.G.’s demeanor changed visibly as she tried to do the same and imagine her friend on the dance floor and a smile formed on her face. She lifted herself up and walked to the mirror to save her hairdo before she took a deep breath and faced her uncle.

“Thank you. Now I feel much better," she said and he smiled back at her.

As he was about to give her one last bit of advice the chamber was stormed by a beaming Thea who enthusiastically rushed through the room and came to a halt in front of her niece.

“You look marvelous my dear. You’re as beautiful as your lovely mother," she said kindly and played with a loose strand of the woman’s dark hair.

Thea was wearing a long lime green dress which was fully covering her cleavage and closing around her neck. It was sleeveless and parts above her shoulders were transparent while the fabric from the upper part of her chest down to her belly bottom was decorated in filigree embroidery. From her belly bottom downwards the fabric fell smoothly and softly to the floor. The dress covered her shoes but one of her silver pumps (in a similar design as D.G.’s) was looking out from the hem of the dress. Thea was wearing her blonde hair open and in little curls. The top of her head was decorated with a silvery white tiara which had little diamonds in its band and the Oz ornament. She was only wearing a thin necklace so that it wouldn’t distract from the embroidery on her dress but also her bracelets and earrings looked simple. Like herself Thea wasn’t wearing much make-up but she radiated such beauty that it took D.G.’s breath away, Glitch must have felt the same thing for he rose from his place on the bed and took Thea’s hand to carefully fling her around to observe her from all sides.

“The same applies to you Thea. You managed to combine tradition and fashion very elegantly again," he exclaimed which made his sister shine brighter than the sun.

“Well, thank you dear sir, I hope I will be able to convince you to share a dance with me," Thea answered and placed a kiss on Glitch’s forehead.

“Your mother has planned to hold a little speech in front of the family before she will welcome the guest and open the ball. Everyone is gathering in her office and I was asked to collect you two," she added now facing both her niece and brother.  
“It’s best to not let her wait then," Glitch exclaimed and the three Gale’s left the chamber behind.

O.O.o.O.O.O.o.O.O

The ballroom was huge, bigger than any room she had seen before and she bet that it had originally been three or four regular rooms before a brilliant architect must have turned it into this little paradise of extravaganza, charm and beauty.

The walls were covered in a cream colored tapestry with filigree flower patterns imprinted in them, the four corners were steadied by white marble pillars and from the ceiling hung a chandelier like she had read about in all her fairytale books. The floor was black and in a stark contrast to the light walls and the huge creamed colored windows. It was starting to get dark but she could take a look at the gardens, which you could see through the glass of the windows and huge doors.

The ballroom was divided into three different areas since it served three different purposes. In one corner close to the entrance door she could spot a place with long tables that were decorated with white table linens, fine silver, crystallite glasses, red napkins, sparkling candle holders and flowers. Another long collection of tables served as a keeper for tons of carefully cooked meals and foods as well as drinks that made her tummy grumble. A few people were sitting at the tables and chatting, she could see them laugh and smile and her anxiousness disappeared a bit. 

The biggest part of the ballroom and the second area was dominated by the dance floor. Almost hundreds of people were swirling and twirling to slow classical music that was coming from another corner of the ballroom. The orchestra that her family had hired must be one of the best, for their music mesmerized her and for a moment she got completely lost in the music. Aside from that she was fascinated when she observed the different dresses of the pretty women who were dancing. She could spot all the colors of the rainbow and impressive designs. Most dresses looked stunning and all of them were decorated with gems of all kinds –mostly diamonds or emeralds who were a symbol of OZ and a sign for wealth.

Without having met her and without being aware of it, D.G.was faced with the same beauty that Adora Cain had first witnessed all these years ago. Nothing much had changed for her mother had wanted to restore the ballroom to its old beauty. Most things needed a change because it was too hurtful to face the constant reminders, but some memories need to be cherished her parents had said.

Different from Adora’s impressions though, D.G. felt like her dress was meant to outshine the others which made her feel uncomfortable, but she listened to Glitch's advice and never left her sister's side while she was introduced to the Ozian nobility. Furthermore, the ball room was decorated in lighter colors and like Glitch had promised most of the guests wore dresses and uniforms, which perfectly went along with the décor.

The music that was playing reminded her of a sunny day on a meadow in spring and she felt as if the whole ball, the outfits, the food, the music and the dances had all been created to welcome the new season and to symbolize the upcoming spring.

She was completely mesmerized and fascinated by this beauty and she had to admit that Glitch had been right and a royal ball surely had its bright side.

Her mother was just introducing her to another Earl from one of the surrounding nations when she saw Cain walking into the ballroom. Like her sister had taught her she greeted the Earl with a curtsey and politely excused herself after a couple of minutes of talking to the man and showing a decent amount of interest.

Mr. Cain had vanished into a corner of the ballroom and was observing the dancing couples on the dance floor but he couldn’t hide from the princess and her good mood.

Unlike herself and her uncle, Mr. Cain was honoring the spring dress code, although it was slightly altered by wearing a dark green military jacket with silver buttons and embroidery as well as black trousers and neatly polished shoes. His hair had grown a bit in the last months and although he wanted to shave it off again he had lost against the protest of D.G. and later even Az. Now he was wearing it neatly combed back in a little wave.

D.G.approached him with a broad grin on her face and she didn’t miss his eye rolling as reaction.

“Oh come on Mr. Cain, everyone needs a little change once in a while and the longer hair really suits you... as well as this outfit," she teased him and gave him a glass of champagne, which she had fetched on her way to her friend.

He gratefully took it into his right hand and went through his hair with his left and a disapproving look.

“I just prefer it short and simple," he sighed before he took a sip from the glass.

“I assume you didn’t come here to tell me how I'm looking today, did you? I might look lonely but I'm fine, kiddo. You should walk around and explore the ball a bit instead of hanging around with a grouchy old man," he added with a mixture of amusement and sarcasm swinging in his voice which encouraged D.G. to ask herself if the glass of champagne had been his first one. Usually he wasn’t up for jokes but now it seemed that he had honestly tried to be funny.

“Maybe I was hoping to steal a dance from you?” she asked mischievously. “But seriously, Cain, I wanted to know how you are and check on you because you really look quite lonely in this corner. And I wanted to get away from all the new people because although this ball is more fun than I thought, it can be very overwhelming to be introduced to so many people," she whispered, leaning closer .  
“You can say that again, kid," Cain smirked and they looked at the dancing crowd before they shared a knowingly look.

“Why are you here and not in the company of someone else?” she asked when their conversation was going towards a much too soon ending. Cain kept observing the dancing people and took a sip from his glass again.

“My mother has decided to take care of the children but she might join in later, she also thinks that these events are too busy for her taste. Anne and Thea are busy telling anyone that Amelia is pregnant, your mother is taking care of you and your sister, Raw said that he needs a rest from all the different emotions around him so he went to his room, and I wanted to talk to Glitch but I haven’t found the courage yet," Cain replied in one go without showing if he was happy about being left alone or not.

When a servant came walking by he placed his now empty glass of champagne on the tray the young man was holding and immediately took another one. She could see that his hand was shaking lightly and slowly she got concerned.

“You’re not looking forward to that conversation with Glitch aren’t you? Is that why you are hiding?” she asked carefully, not lowering her gaze on Cain.

“I haven’t told him yet and I don’t know how he will react. Now that he is reconnected with his brain again he is easily overwhelmed by all his long missed feelings and I don’t want to hurt him," Cain replied shortly and D.G. finally understood.

"You really care for him, don’t you? You shouldn’t be afraid, he is a smart guy, he will understand. But if you're still having these feelings you should tell him before it’s too late," she countered reassuringly and when he looked at her she smiled at him.

He looked back at her sadly before he lowered the glass and sighed. He knew that she was right and he didn’t like it but the sigh was like a sign of capitulation which made her smile grew even bigger.

“I will promise to go out and talk to all these people and act like a good princess if you promise me to go and talk to Glitch now and tell him the truth," D.G, said triumphantly.

“All right, I guess I should listen to you. If I keep drinking like this it won’t be very beneficial to have a talk after all.” Again Cain joked which was very uncommon for him so either he really was drunk from the alcohol or from something completely different… like a certain Scarecrow maybe.

D.G. patted his arm in support and told him that everything would be fine and that he had shown them all how brave he was so she didn’t doubt that he could manage a conversation with the duke. Cain gave her a funny look at that but they both knew that she was right.

In the end the princess left with an encouraging raising of her thumbs, leaving Cain alone in his corner and making her way through the dancing couple as if their awkward conversation had never happened.

Now it was up to Cain, either he could keep his promise or spend the rest of the night standing in his corner.

Luckily for him his guts decided on the first option.

O.O..O.o.o.O.o.o.o

He had spotted Glitch with a couple of men surrounding him at one of the tables close to the buffet. The scarecrow didn’t need any food but he had wanted to chat with Felix and Philip and what had started as a random conversation had soon turned into a political discussion. 

Cain saw the satisfied grin on Glitch’s face even before he reached the table and he was glad to see that his friend was able to be in his element again. The reunion with the other half of his brain was only part of what he had wanted for his friend but he was sure that his friends would do everything they could do take care of the last obstacle as well. What was important now was to see his best friend so happy, his heart doing a flic-flac in his chest at the sight.

Months he had spent thinking about his feelings, and although he had had enough of other thoughts clouding his mind, he had used the times of solitude to make up his mind on his relationship with Ambrose. The hours which they had spent together in the brain room had really helped to come to terms with those twisted feelings.

The first months he had dedicated to bid his farewell to Adora and although he would never stop loving her or cherishing her, and although the memory of her would never fade there came a day when he woke up and the pain in his chest wasn’t as strong as it had been before. No doubt it wasn’t possible to fully recover within only a couple of months but he had allowed his heart to open up for long forgotten feelings of love and admiration.

Sessions within the brain room, which had started as routine in order to help Glitch remember his past, had soon turned into a time where Cain grew closer to his old friend and more than once he had left the session with a smile on his face and a funny feeling in his tummy. Other days he had gotten into a fight with the man that was half scarecrow half brain in a tank but none of this had changed the growing affection which had blossomed many months before their first fight.

Weeks after Christmas, a beautiful time that the two had spent with exchanging ambiguous glances and coincidental hugs and pats here and there he had finally admitted to himself that he was in love with his friend and that he enjoyed every minute with the clumsy and scatter-brained Scarecrow.

He had looked forward to the Spring ball for weeks because he had planned to dance with Glitch and confess his love to him, but then Jeb had made him and offer which he wouldn’t refuse.

He still planned to dance with Glitch and he still planned to confess his love, but he was afraid that his news would ruin this romantic moment. D.G. was right though, Glitch deserved to hear it from him and before it was too late.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation but I would need to talk to the Duke for a minute," Cain announced politely when he had reached the table.

Several heads raised or turned around to him which made him feel slightly uncomfortable but he didn’t break eye contact. The man in question, however, welcomed him with a smile on his face and rose even before anyone had the chance to say something.

“Please excuse me, gentlemen, I will come to my next point later because it is best to not refuse a request from Mr. Cain over there," he said mockingly which earned him a teasing look from Cain and a knowing smirk from his brother in-law, Philip.

When he was sure that no one would protest that their conversation had been interrupted he walked to Cain who pulled him aside lightly and whispered something to him. He nodded when Cain had ended and followed him to the side of the ballroom where both of them went into the garden through one of the glass doors.

“I thought it might be calmer outside, it’s such a beautiful evening," Cain said when they stepped through the grass which was shimmering in the light of the setting sun.

“Must be really chilly though, don’t want you to catch a cold, Cain," Glitch countered, walking close behind him.

The Tin Man turned around and moved his head to the side at that comment and observed his companion with an amused look on his face.

“Do I look like I get a cold from a walk through the chilly air? I’m a Tin Man, Glitch. I will survive," he responded but when he noticed that Glitch really was concerned he stopped teasing his friend.

“I’ll be fine no worries, thanks for the concern," he added calmly, honestly being touched by Glitch’s way of showing his affection.

They stopped in front of a bench which looked very familiar to Glitch. Although he had spent many hours sitting on it, reading or watching the nearby fountain, it was also the bench on which he had confessed to Adora Cain that he was in love with her husband.

Now she was dead and who knew what Cain was planning to confess his love on that bench. Sometimes fate was a wicked thing but he didn’t protest when the blond offered him a seat next to him.

“You remember that we made a promise to each other the night after the eclipse," Cain started carefully, making sure that there was enough space for Glitch to sit down next to him.

The Scarecrow shifted lightly and then grinned when he heard the question, two very opposite reactions, which didn't really assure Cain if Glitch was feeling all right or uncomfortable about the question.

“It is funny that you ask that because I had planned to talk about that promise as well," Glitch answered now turning his head to Cain and fixing his eyes. “Forgive me but since I'm... well... one with my full emotions again, I tend to be very nervous," he added quickly as the shifting hadn’t stopped.

Hoping to gain Glitch’s trust, and in order to calm him down a bit, Cain took Glitch’s trembling hand and observed the white fabric of the gloves.

“So we both have been thinking then, I assume?” he said while his thumb brushed over the shimmering silver button that was holding the gloves together at one end.

“Looks like it… listen, Cain I...," Glitch started only to be stopped by Cain.

“ No long discussions and talks this time. Let’s get straight to the point. Before you tell me that you understand that I need time to heal and that you want me to cherish Adora, I need to tell you that the last weeks, especially the hours in the brain room, have really helped me to come to terms with myself and with you. I’ve been thinking a lot lately and while doing so I also have allowed my heart to open up and I think we really should try this... being a couple I mean…." He knew the ending was rather clumsy but he hoped that Glitch understood what he meant, at least he couldn’t tell for sure since the Scarecrow was now throwing his head back as if he wanted to burst out laughing but no sound left his lips.

“You surely are one hell of a romantic, Wyatt Cain," Glitch answered with an odd smirk on his patched mouth as he observed the clouds above them. “As weird as this little confession of love might have been, if that was what you were getting at, I believe that we should try this too," he then added and his head sank back into its old position.

Cain stared at him for a second before the different emotions overwhelmed him and he hugged Glitch.

“Maybe you can teach me to get better at this. You already showed my heart how it feels to love again and even if my words haven’t found a way to properly express my true feelings yet, I now realize what should have been obvious to me when I first felt this tingly feeling in my tummy…you... just make me feel whole again. So if you really want to give this old Tin Man here a chance I will show you how romantic I may become in the future," Cain exclaimed with a tight feeling in his throat, holding back tears that were mixed with joy and relief.

He didn’t flinch when soft gloves touched his back but instead he fully embraced the gesture and enjoyed these seconds of being close to this wonderful man.

“Of course I will, Mr. Wyatt Cain jr., how could I say no to a man who is willing to love me as I am? It was hard to describe these feelings towards you in times where I didn’t know what feelings were after all. But you always gave me hope and even if there were bad days where I forgot all about my past again you were there and even before the spell reconnected me with the missing half of my brain I started to embrace these feelings," Glitch whispered still pressed to Cain’s chest.

He wished that he could feel the warmth of his body, or the softness of their touching bodies but despite emotions he was numb to feelings like that. When they parted from their embrace Glitch could see that Cain’s eyes were sparkling in joy and there was an expression on his face which was glowing with happiness and love. It was something he hadn’t seen on Cain’s face for annuals and it made him look indescribably beautiful.

Glitch smiled back at him, fully soaking in this smile and sparkling of the eyes.

They decided to stay in the garden for a bit longer because it was beautiful weather and with the rising moon came the stars and the chirping of crickets and Glitch enjoyed every minute of sitting next to Cain with his head placed on the Tin Man’s shoulder and his hand wrapped around Cain’s.

“I can’t believe that I forgot how beautiful this place is," Glitch mumbled while he watched the reflection of the moon on the water of the nearby pond.

Cain’s heart ached at this, Glitch didn’t speak of his forgotten memories very often after they had been restored to him. This was the first time in a few weeks that he mentioned his time without them and even though they had agreed on switching between his real name and his nickname it felt strange to hear him talk about it again. Cain didn’t blame him, for their past would always be a part of them, but the sadness in Glitch’s voice brought back a familiar pain in his chest.

It also reminded him of the news that he still hadn’t shared with Glitch and he hoped that it wouldn’t deepen that pain.

“I uhm …there is something else I need to tell you,” he interrupted the silence and was glad that Glitch gave him all his attention.

“I thought about it a long time, but as my heart told me that I want to be with you, it also helped me with this decision. Jeb and I ... uh...we will go back to the old cabin where we used to live and we will bring it back to its old glory. After that I will give it to Jeb and move closer to my family in Old Creek. I love the palace and I love you but I lost so many years with my family that I now want to spend all of my time with them. I don’t expect you to like this or to go with me but I think you deserve to know this," he explained with the feeling of a tight throat coming back with every word.

As he had expected it was silent after this and Glitch moved a bit away from him, breaking the grip which Cain had on his hand. He knew that it was Ambrose's way of showing him that he needed this moment to think, since the man never said something before he hadn’t made up his mind.

Seconds soon felt like minutes and minutes like hours but Glitch answered him sooner than he had expected.

“I can’t deny that this hurts me... I hope you understand that I'm in the same situation and that I was hoping to catch up on the times in which I was parted from my family too. I had planned to work as advisor again and help my sister as best as I can so I’m in a twisted situation now," Glitch started, surprisingly calm.

“However, I hope you know that your family always has been part of my family as well and that I mean what I said a few minutes ago, I love you Wyatt Cain, and I want to spent the rest of my life with you. What I suggest, and you know that I’m really good at this, is that you go and restore your old home with your son… take your time and try to work on your relationship with Jeb because I know how important it is for you to get closer to him again. I will stay here because it is something you need to do on your own. In the meantime I will take care of everything around here and when you are ready you will come back and we will look for a nice cozy house in Old Creek. I will work as a far distant advisor... I’m sure I will come up with some kind of magical device that will enable us to communicate with the palace so that I can work from there. We will visit them for the holidays and I’m sure that no one will say something against a nice summer holiday in Munchkinland," Glitch ended by taking Cain’s trembling hand again.

Like only minutes before Cain could only stare at Glitch, being amazed by the unconditional love and understanding that was coming from the man in front of him. Tears rolled down his cheeks when relief washed over him. He couldn’t believe that after all these annuals he was still allowed to be treated like this.

“Thank you, Thank you for everything. I will look for the most beautiful home that I can find, even if this means that I might have to build one on my own," was the only thing he managed to say before his instincts took over and he kissed Glitch for the first time in their lives.

He had never thought about how it would feel to kiss the cotton like burlap that was Glitch’s face and it surprised him in more than one way. Unfortunately he didn’t have much of a lower nor upper lip which stopped Cain from deepening it into something more passionate, however, he used all his senses to make the moment special. Knowing that Glitch couldn’t feel the touch he was grateful that the man in his inhuman body didn’t back away but tried to make it unforgettable as well.

The burlap was warm, but the fabric left no taste on his lips, he smelled the straw which was filling Glitch’s head which caused Cain to feel weird for a moment, but his longing and his love where dominating his emotions and so he didn’t care that he was kissing the burlap skin of his love.

Cain was about to interrupt the heated situation when all of a sudden his lips felt electrified, sending stimulating signals to his brain. The atmosphere between the two grew hotter and suddenly it felt as if the cotton fabric would get softer, the smell of straw decreasing and replacing it with something else that Cain couldn’t define. Glitch shifted and placed his hands behind Cain’s back pulling him closer. His brain was still getting signals which made him feel inexplicably dizzy so he had to close his eyes.

The touch got deeper, the heat between them rising but remaining comfortably hot before something seemed to explode from their touch and the kiss turned into something

Magical.  
O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O

Azkadellia had promised her family that she would attend the ball and try to enjoy herself, but with every passing hour it was proving more and more difficult to lie to herself and pretend as if she was having fun. Many hours spent with her sister and aunts, as well as her mother had taught her that she had tried everything to escape the possession and undo the deeds of the witch, but all these people, the heat of the room, the dizzying music and the dancing felt like a weight around her heart.

The panic and anxiety started to make her twitchy and the fear of losing control encouraged her to flee into one of the corners of the ballroom. She had wanted to go outside to take a breath and organize her messy thoughts but she had seen how Cain and Glitch had left for the gardens and she didn’t want to disturb them, once they returned she would get her chance but for now she concentrated on getting away from the crowds and to some calmer parts of the ballroom. When Amelia asked her if she was okay she smiled back reassuringly for she didn’t want to ruin their day of fun and joy.

Once in her corner she stumbled upon the seer Raw who also seemed to prefer to spend his evening away from too many people. She fetched a glass from the nearby buffet table and placed herself next to the shy hybrid. She knew that he wouldn’t talk much so she would get her time to sort her feelings but also she knew that he was great company in situations like this. She nodded when he looked at her and a little smile crawled on her face.

“Had to get away from the cheering crowd as well?” she asked as he was still looking at her with those kind brown eyes.

“Raw feels too much, makes Raw feel a bit dizzy, better if he stays in corner. Wants to be there for D.G. though," the seer answered with a buttery soft dark voice.

“I know how you feel… I mean... I don’t know how it is to share other people’s emotions but my head is feeling pretty dizzy as well and I’m only here because I gave a promise to D.G.," she answered approvingly which made Raw smile.

“Azkadellia not ready for many people, Raw can feel, but Azkadellia kind to do this for D.G. D.G. very happy," he answered her and now it was her who had to smile.

“It is good to know that I’m not alone with this feeling," she said to Raw and encouraged him to raise his glass of water so that they could clink glasses.

“To a nice calm evening in our comfortable corner," Az exclaimed and Raw indeed copied her gesture before he suddenly flinched.

“What is wrong Raw?” Azkadellia asked as she noticed that the viewer was suddenly clutching his head. Comfortingly she touched his shoulder.

“Raw felt something… something strong... something …with magic," Raw said as the funny feeling in his head had ebbed away a minute later and his vision was getting clearer again.

“Magic?” Az asked in curiosity letting the question hang in the air for a while until minutes later they heard someone shriek in joy.

Both she and Raw jumped up from their seats and exchanged a confused look as they had identified the shriek belonging to the Queen.

“Something happened," Azkadellia said and wanted to rush to wherever her mother was hiding in the crowd but Raw stopped her by grabbing her arm.

“Nothing bad … the Queen happy…s he crying because of being so happy… Azkadellia not need to worry… but better look what happened... Raw can feel that other people happy too," he said to her kindly which even more confused her.  
What could possibly have happened to cause her mother to express her feelings in such a loud and evident way? Their mother usually was very composed and even if something nice happened she usually expressed her joy through a smile or a pat on someone’s shoulder.

Azkadellia rushed through the crowds, making her way through numerous people in colorful attire before she bumped into her sister D.G.

“So you heard it too?” D.G asked as she saw the concerned look on Azkadellia’s face.

“Loud and clearly, you want to see what happened?” Az asked back and D.G nodded.

When the people around them finally realized that the princesses were trying to make their way to the other side of the ballroom, where the thrones were standing, they cleared the path, some of them stopping their dance so that they wouldn’t bump into the princesses.

Most of the people in the ballroom were much too concerned with their own businesses, chats and dances, that they hadn’t noticed the sudden outburst of the Queen. However, the members of the family weren’t alone when D.G. and Azkadellia arrived, but a couple of interested guests were watching as the Queen hugged someone as if she was intending to never let go of her victim again.  
As Queen Ozma Lavender saw that her children were approaching she let go of the man, who finally was able to turn around and face the newcomers as well, causing Azkadellia to stop dead in her tracks as if the world around her had suddenly stopped turning.

“That can’t be," she whispered and without being able to compose herself from the shock, tears started to stream down her face as she jumped into the open arms of her uncle.

O.O.O.o.O.O.

Cain stared at Glitch in disbelief after they parted from their passionate kiss. His mouth was lightly hanging open and although it already had been beating fast from the kiss, his heart now felt as if it wanted to burst in his chest.

Glitch shared that same look of confusion and just like Cain the expression in his eyes reflected utter shock and surprise.

He flinched lightly when Cain’s fingers touched the skin on his face because he wasn’t prepared to actually FEEL the touch. Cain had to wipe away a tear that was leaving Glitch’s eye, he himself fighting with another wave of tears.

Cain’s touch was warm and a bit raw from hands that knew a lot of hard work. He had never believed that he would ever experience the feel of Cain’s hands again.  
He grabbed the hand like he was in trance and placed soft kisses on it, taking in the taste and the smell before he leaned in for another kiss. It was a sensation and he thanked the gods and spirits for giving him that second chance.

Their first kiss had soon turned into something none of them had ever experienced before. Cain had closed his eyes as the tingling and electrifying feeling had started but Glitch had felt the change right from the start. It hadn’t been painful but he had felt how the burlap had changed into skin, how his hair had grown back, how his heart had started to beat and how every touch suddenly was attached to a feeling again.

It was difficult to describe but as his feelings had taken over again it had been wonderful and unique and when Cain had parted the kiss and noticed the change he had wanted to cry out his joy into the night.

“It is you …you’re back," Cain managed after he had made sure that he wasn’t dreaming and that the man in front of him was real and that he was human again.

Ambrose only smiled back at him, the expression forming dimples on his cheeks, a trait about the advisors face which melted Cain’s heart in an instant. Only now he realized how much he had missed it.

“The question is how is this possible?” Ambrose said, still mesmerized by the smells, the chilliness of the air, his own heart beat and other long forgotten impressions.

Cain didn’t have an answer, he himself was confused and too shocked to think of anything that could explain why Ambrose was a human again. Everything he had wished for had happened within one single evening and he still believed that he was dreaming and that someone would wake him up from his pleasant slumber. The kiss had felt all too real though and like nothing his brain could make up. He had felt the magic down to his bones and like Glitch he wanted answers. How was it possible that after so many years the curse could be broken without any spell or potion? Cain fixed on the man in front of him who was touching his face and looking at his hands in disbelief, when he saw how Glitch was, then going through his hair he got an idea.

“We could ask your sisters and at the same time spread the good news and surprise anyone?” Cain suggested thoughtfully.

Glitch answered with an approving nod before he rose from the bench and offered Cain his hand.

“We should be careful though, like us no one expected this and although I doubt that anyone will faint they might be really overwhelmed," Glitch said dragging Cain with him, he was walking fast, probably because he was excited to show everyone that he was back but he stopped abruptly when they were standing in front of the glass door leading to the ballroom.

“You're sure that I can do this? There are an awful lot of people in there... maybe we should wait and tell everyone in private after the ball?” Glitch asked and turned around with a doubtful look in his eyes.

Cain laid his hands on Glitch’s shoulders and deeply looked into his eyes as he spoke.

“I won’t tell you what to do but I believe it might be beneficial to go and tell them now when everyone is there to see that you’re back, otherwise you might need to attend another ball and be the focus of everyone else," he answered honestly.

“You’re right, wouldn’t want to go through that more than once," Glitch countered, shuddering.

“Off we go then," he added theatrically and pushed open the glass doors.

0.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.

“You broke the curse," Azkadellia said in disbelief as she parted the hug with her uncle, who was now looking back at her in his human form. Behind him her mother and aunts were brushing away tears of joy which had streamed down their faces and next to her she could see a confused D.G. who couldn’t stop staring at Ambrose.

“You’re Glitch?” the younger princess asked curiously as she walked closer to touch her uncle’s arm.

“Yes I suppose so, nice to finally be able to introduce myself properly," he said to her and bowed before he smiled at her beamingly.

Now she knew what the others meant when they had said that his smile was contagious for she couldn’t help but laugh and pull him closer into a hug.

When they parted, her mother Lavender walked closer to her brother while the others circled them curiously. The Queen still couldn’t believe what she was seeing, something that had happened to all of them, first and foremost the two who had witnessed the transformation.

“Lavender, we were hoping that you might have an explanation for this. You know that you searched everywhere in the old library for a clue and nothing helped but now this happened without any spell or use of magic and we’re utterly confused," Cain threw in from his spot next to D.G. He had watched the happy reunion from a distance so that the family had enough space to express their feelings but now he had entered the circle to raise the question that seemed to haunt more than just him and Glitch.

“So am I … It’s all very surprising yet confusing. It does seem that you didn’t stop aging as well, if the witch’s spell had been correct you should have stayed at the age you had been during the transformation yet I can detect grey streaks in your hair and you look worn out and older than I remember. Maybe the magic that was inside of you even before the witch cursed you left a loop hole. Maybe this is what enabled it to be broken," she said thoughtfully.

“That sounds like a possibility, however, I don’t understand why such a chance wasn’t mentioned in one of the books," Glitch answered scratching his head in thought.

“Maybe it was, what exactly did you do before your transformation?” his sister Amelia suddenly threw in curiously.

Cain and Ambrose both exchanged a look, while the latter experienced his first blush in a very long time again. Cain cleared his throat lightly, whereas Ambrose tried to hide his pink face by looking to the floor.

“Okay, looks like today is the day of big news…so I guess we shouldn’t keep it to ourselves much longer. Ambrose and I ... we ... came to terms with our relationship and ... uhm …the latest developments and we both came to the conclusion that we ... uhm have strong feelings for each other and that we will try and be a couple," Cain said uneasily, not because he was ashamed of his feelings, but because he wasn’t sure how anyone would react. They knew that Cain usually wasn’t the right guy for talking about things like that and he didn’t know if anyone had ever expected that the Tin Man had feelings for the Duke and vice versa.

The collective exclamation of joy and the repeated hugging, as well as the best wishes that followed proved that at least D.G., Az and Thea had had a suspicion. Even the Queen smiled at him and gave him a kiss on his cheeks after he had made his confession in front of everyone. His son Jeb who had been standing in the circle next to Aham , gave him a knowing look and an approving nod. He had been the only one who had heard this confession even before Glitch had returned his feelings, so it wasn’t new to his son. Out of all the people Cain had wanted to make sure that his son was okay with his dad’s choice of heart and that he wouldn’t hold anything against him. Jeb had been shocked at first, but after Cain had explained himself he had promised him that he would need some time but that he understood and that he wanted his father to be happy.

“So I assume that you kissed?” Amelia suddenly interrupted yet another merry moment of the evening and everyone turned their attention to the duchess .  
“Yes we have," Glitch said with a dreamy expression on his face, earning a thumbs up from his sister Thea.

“Well then I might have the solution," Amelia announced and now she had everyone’s full attention.

“As I said maybe it did stand in one of the books but not in the ones we looked at. You surely remember the story of how our great grandmother Dorothy the Great married our great grandfather?” she asked and everyone except for D.G. nodded. “You should also remember that our great-grandfather had been cursed and living as a Scarecrow as well," she went on. “The story tells that Dorothy fell in love with her friend when she was old enough and before they married she gave him the kiss of true love and the curse was broken," she finished and let everyone process this theory.

“But I thought that this was legend and that he never actually was a Scarecrow?” Cain asked confused, remembering one of their history lessons.

“Oh no it is true, we have a portrait from after the fight against the witches that proves that all the legends are true. However, I thought as well that the part with the kiss was added in order to entertain the kids and underline the eternal love of our ancestors," Ambrose countered knowingly. The Duke knew a lot about their lands history, he always had, which was one of the reasons why he had thought that the man would make a good advisor. Now he got a tingly feeling in his tummy when his friend talked like that.

Instinctively he took Glitch's hand into his own and looked at the slightly smaller man.

“You think that it was true love’s kiss that transformed you back?” he asked his love.

“I don’t know, maybe we will never know if it was true love’s kiss. However, I know that my feelings for you are honest and very deep, so at least my heart is telling me that it is right," Ambrose answered, putting a loose strand of his hair behind his ear.

“Couldn’t agree more," Cain smiled back at him before he sank onto one knee, still holding one of Ambrose's hands.

Everyone breathed in deeply as they saw the gesture whose meaning was known to everyone, but Cain just laughed and shattered their dreams.  
“It’s not what you’re thinking! Ambrose I wanted to ask you, will you give me the honor of a dance?” he asked sheepishly and looked up at Glitch with wide puppy like blue eyes.

Glitch started laughing lightly before he ordered Cain to rise up again. 

“The last time you asked me that I didn’t know what feelings I would develop. Can’t harm to encourage fate a second time, right?” Glitch answered   
mysteriously, which Cain accepted as a yes. He gently pulled Glitch closer to himself and with his left arm wrapped around Glitch’s waist he guided the man to the dance floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Long time no word from me!!! First off all I want to apologize for not posting anything the last couple of weeks. I have been very busy with moving back to Germany and then I wanted to see a couple of places in the U.K before my departure so I didn't use much time for writing. Now I'm back again but I'm still not very productive yet. The last two chapters will hopefully follow soon though and as I said : This story will be finished!!! I have finished 70% of the second to last chapter and I hope that I will be able to upload it next week. Otherwise it might take a few more days but I will try to be quick with the last chapters. I'm very sorry for the delays!!! About this chapter. I kind of have a feeling that everything happens too rushed which makes it seem stuffed but I didn't want to procrastinate everything by adding even more chapters to this story. In general this chapter is summing up what I wanted for the characters to happen and the last two chapter will add a little bit more to that , to underline their happy end. If you don't like it , please let me know otherwise I hope that you liked it . Thanks for reading ;)


	25. Carol of the Bells

2 annuals later

D.G.’s bum was giving her a hard time and her sore muscles were teasing her in addition. Both she and Ahamo had pleadingly asked the Queen around a hundred times to take the car, which Ambrose had repaired six months ago, and to use the new motorized way to the capital of Munchkinland, but Lavender had refused since she still mistrusted anything with four wheels that wasn’t pulled by horses.

Instead they were spending their third day on horseback and D.G. was starting to lose hope in reaching Old Creek in the promised five days. Her steed was a beautiful dapple gray stallion with trusting black eyes and a calm demeanor. She fell in love with the horse right after her first minutes on its back, but even Fillion’s kind nature didn’t change the fact that riding could get tiring and exhausting after three days.

Luckily for their riding company it was a sunny and warm day while a soft breeze provided the right amount of refreshment under the gazing rays of the sun. They had chosen to take the main road which connected Central and Munchkin’s capital where they would rest before they would continue on to Old Creek. It was D.G.’s fourth long journey after her days on the road with the guys and she enjoyed every minute in which she could take a look at their country without having to go into hiding. The two and a half years after the witch’s death had been peaceful and although they were accompanied by a whole group of guards, nothing had happened in the last years concerning the Queen and her family.

The four nations were blooming, the trade with the neighboring countries was stable and most crimes were taking place within the shadowy corners of the Realm of the Unwanted.

The people of Oz could breathe again and D.G.’s connection to her land flourished with every day in which she was faced with its beauty.

Her thoughts about Oz’s changes was abruptly interrupted, though, when a shudder of pain went through her legs up to her bum. Fillion had tripped over a small rock which caused him to change from a soft walk to a bumpy trot, luckily he didn’t stumble which was a sign that he hopefully didn’t break his ankle but D.G.’s sore behind wasn’t prepared for it.

“I think we should take a short rest mother, Fillion just tripped over a rock I need to check his ankle," D.G informed her mother who was riding on her chestnut mare only a few inches ahead of her. She came to a halt in an instant when she heard that her daughter's horse could be hurt and the whole company stopped when their Queen's horse stood still.

"I hope it is nothing serious, my dear. Let me help you, together we might be able to help him with our magic," her mother said while she got off her horse.

D.G. was still not used to using magic when there was a problem that needed to be solved. Back in Kansas they would have needed to bring the horse to a vet and if it was too bad it would mean the horse's death. Now she just had to send her magic into Fillion's ankle and see if everything was damaged. With another move of her hand she would be able to heal it and her horse could live. It was a strange feeling but every time she was able to help someone it filled her with joy and she was glad to live in a land with magic.

Fortunately nothing was wrong with Fillion's ankle and he once again had proven to be a lucky horse. No magic was needed but her mother decided to take a short break to go easy on the leg.

It looked as if they were somewhere in the middle of nowhere but her father was sure that they were close to a little village called Oaktown and that it's people were welcoming and kind. D.G. took this as a chance and offered to spend their break in this village since she was longing for a rest as much as her horse and she could see that both her father and her sister were thinking the same thing. Her mother wanted to reach Munchkinland's Central by sundown but it was hard to go against two pleading daughters and a husband.

Although they had made slow process since D.G. had insisted on walking, they reached the village in less than an hour just as her father had promised. First they were watched with suspicion, people had learnt and were much more careful these days, but when they recognized the Queen and her family, a group of villagers welcomed them with dignified bows and courtesy.

"What an honor it is to welcome the Queen of the O.Z. and her family in our little village. This must be our lucky day. Only hours ago your two sisters arrived with their families as well," a middle aged man greeted them with a smile on his face. D.G. assumed that he was the leader or major of this village and that he was running things around here.

"We don't want to wear out our welcome but it would be kind if we could stay here for a while before we make your way to the next town. I guess my sisters have planned the same?" the Queen asked, not being surprised that Amelia and Thea were also in the village. They may have taken different routes to Central but she had sensed their magic hours ago. It was a lucky coincidence that they could now make their way to Old Creek together but it didn't surprise her.

"Your majesties can stay as long as they please. How could we refuse our savior a cold drink and a shadowy place to rest?" the bulky man answered with a second bow.

"Because this land needed saving and I didn't do it to get something in return," D.G. told the man and received a surprised but grateful look in return.

"Your hospitality is too kind. We could need this drink and a break but after this we really have to leave again. Please show us where we can find my sisters and we will not leave without paying you off for your kindness," the Queen said humbly and now the face of the man started to light up.

"Whatever my Queen wishes," and with this he led them to a guest house.

O.O.o.O.O.O.O..O.o

Thea, Amelia and their families were sitting in front of the house underneath a roof that was casting enough shadow for all of them. Each of them had a drink standing in front of them and all in all they looked much more content than the arriving traveling company.

"Look who has found us! You look tired, my dear," Amelia welcomed her sister with a broad grin on her face.

"It wasn't very hard to find you with your magic shining as bright as a lighthouse but I would say that this encounter here was provided by nothing more than a mere coincidence," Lavender answered while she let herself sink onto a free spot of the bench that her sisters were sitting on.

"Seems that something is keeping us together now that we have been apart for such a long time," Thea countered and offered her sister a glass of cold fresh water.

"I would say so," Lavender returned and thankfully took the drink that was given to her.

"It was my idea to stop by. Fillion tripped over a rock and we were worried that he broke his ankle. Poor boy is okay but we are quite tired after three days on horseback," D.G told her aunts as she finally arrived at the guest house as well, followed by her father and sister.

"And there is the rest of the family! It was a good idea to stop by you all look very worn out. Thank God that Fillion is okay. Come sit down and have a drink you three. Your guards should take a rest as well, Old Creek won't run away," Amelia said caringly.

They welcomingly took the drinks and the offered seats on another bench because everyone was grateful for the rest. When all of them were sitting and they had had enough time to breathe again, D.G. noticed how beautiful it was in this village and she had to think of Old Creek which was even more magical than this place.

She had only seen it once after Ambrose and Cain had moved to the town far away from Central City but she still remembered its sunny hills' and wide fields. It was a peaceful part of the land that lived from its agriculture and forestry. The suns shone longer and the air was richer of oxygen, the water seemed clearer and the people friendlier. It was a lovely village with kind people and it had reminded her very much of her home in Kansas and given her a feeling of freedom.

She had loved to spend the summer over there and she was very much looking forward to another holiday with her whole family at the house of her uncle and Mr. Cain.

Later that day when everyone was refreshed and ready to go, they gathered all their things and with a grown traveling company they said their goodbyes and thanks to the villagers and left off to Old Creek.

O.O.O.o.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.

The beaming sunrays and the soft wind were tickling his nose and he had to sneeze lightly from the tingly feeling. He loved feeling the mixture of cool wind and warm sunrays on his skin and he decided to enjoy this silent moment of pure feeling for a little while longer. His eyes were closed and his arms were resting to his sides and on the warm blanket underneath his body. However, when the sudden fresh smell of warm bread, cheese and salad touched his nose he knew that it was time to open his eyes and rise from his slumber. When he had lifted himself up and opened his eyes he could see that Cain had joined him on the meadow at the back of their house and that he had brought sandwiches and something to drink with him.

“You always seem to know when I’m hungry," Ambrose mumbled thankfully, resting his head on Cain’s shoulder .

“I thought you might want a reward for your hard work," Cain replied touching Ambrose’s warm locks and placing a kiss on his forehead.

“I wish I could say that we’re finally finished but there is still a lot to do before the guests will arrive," the brunette sighed as he grabbed for a sandwich that was lying on a platter in front of him.

“Preparing a wedding has never been done in a day I suppose," Cain answered smiling at the exclamation of the word 'wedding'.

He had proposed to Ambrose around seven months ago after they had spent a lovely time with the Royal family at the Northern Palace. The proposal hadn’t been too pompous. One night at dinner, one of their private dinners in Ambrose’s room, Cain had kneeled down on one knee and asked his partner if he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. Ambrose, being glad about the simplicity, yet touched by the deep romance of that scene had said ‘yes’ and they had sealed their promise with a long kiss and a sparkling night.

Ever since that day Ambrose planned their wedding with strong determination, although it wasn’t supposed to be a big event but something simple and small for their families and friends, just like their proposal. However, Ambrose wanted it to be perfect and transform their garden into a magical setting for their wedding.

Anne, Cain’s cousin Ty, and Liz were helping Ambrose as much as they could and it warmed Cain’s heart to see what a great time his loved ones were having. Nevertheless he started to notice the exhaustion on Ambrose face when he collapsed into their bed every night and he secretly wished that his fiancé would take things slow and easy.

“The tree looks magnificent, the grass is mowed, the stone path has never been arranged so precisely, the pond is clear and free from algae, it’s too soon to arrange the tent, the chairs or the tables, the guest house for your family is arranged and our guests will arrive in time. Honey, you really should take a rest and relax. Everything will work out fine," Cain encouraged him and gestured for Ambrose to lie down on his legs.

The inventor obeyed, yet he did it with a sigh.

“I can’t help but feel that something is missing. Oh dear gods have we talked to the jeweler in Central to deliver the rings?” Ambrose exclaimed raising his head slowly but placing it back on Cain’s legs when the Tin Man slowly pushed it down.

“Yes we have... weeks ago and they arrived yesterday. They fit perfectly and we locked them away together, remember?” Cain assured him.

Ambrose looked confused for a moment, his eyes moving fast in his head as his brain was trying to process Cain’s words and searching for the memory. When he remembered he let out the breath he had been holding.

“I really have been working too hard lately, haven’t I?? I seriously believed that we forgot to order the rings but you’re right they are upstairs," the brunette answered, his eyes searching Cain’s gaze this time.

“You’re not a Scarecrow anymore, you need a rest from time to time to relax and collect new energy, this wedding won’t run away Ambrose. We did decide to marry here in Old Creek and with only the family so that we could take the time we need and I think that everything looks perfect already. You can take things slow now," Cain answered while his hands comfortingly touched Ambrose's head.

“Two years the curse is broken for two years now…everything went so fast that I can’t even recall how it felt to have no human body," Ambrose absently replied with a hue of nostalgia in his voice, yet he wasn’t sad about it – He didn’t miss his life as a Scarecrow, not for a single minute did he want to be in that condition again but the memories of the Spring Ball where a kiss from Cain had broken the curse also woke memories of the two years between his magical transformation and this very day in the garden.

Only days after the ball, Cain and his son Jeb had left Central City to ride to their old home, the cabin close to the borders of Munchkinland and the Eastern Guild fighters, in order to restore it and make it a home again. After that Cain had planned to make his way to Old Creek where he had been hoping to find a house for him and Ambrose. The advisor then had planned to follow as soon as Cain had bought a home and come to terms with his past.

Jeb and Cain needed half an annual to fix the cabin and make it livable. Three more moon cycles and the older Cain had had found a small but cozy and charming house in the middle of Old Creek. It had a garden with a pond and many trees. It had needed skilled hands to be repaired here and there but to Cain it was perfect. His family who had made their way home a few weeks after Jeb and Cain’s departure had helped him to clean it and to arrange everything before Ambrose’s arrival.

Like he had said back in the garden of the Central City palace, Ambrose had used the first six moon cycles after the ball and Cain’s departure to organize everything and to make arrangements for his new job as ‘far distant advisor’ as he called it. He had come up with a device that was similar to the T.D.E.S.P. H.T.L but which didn’t merely record an event or speaking person and saved it as a holographic message, more than that it enabled to connect two recording devices with each other that would film the speaker and transport their holograph to the other device. In this way the filmed speaker would be shown on the other device at exactly the same time of speaking. The same thing would happen vice versa with the other device so that it was possible to lead a fluent conversation. D.G. had told him that the people from the Otherside called this process telecommunication, yet they didn’t have holograms which must be because they also didn’t have a genius like Ambrose yet.

At first the council hadn’t been pleased that the reinstalled advisor wanted to leave Central to live with the Captain of the Guard but both convincing words of the Queen and a promise of Ambrose, that he was able to work from everywhere, cooled their temper in the end.

For important councils that could take days, maybe even a week, he would make his way back to Central, but they would use the telecommunication device whenever his presence wasn’t necessarily needed. Both he and his sister were faithful that it could work since it wasn’t the first time that he lived outside Central. As Duke of Gillikin he had often enough lived in the North where he had taken care of his territories. Lavender had promised him to take care of those from this day on until they would find a proper solution for his duties there and maybe one of her daughters would become a duchess of Gillikin in the future.

Although there had been a lot to organize and take care of (the invention and installation of his device alone had needed three moon cycles) he had had a lot of time to think and now he remembered that he had been scared during those days alone.

He and Cain had been friends for a long time, they knew the other inside and out, like only a long time best friend could but during those first moon cycles Ambrose had been invaded by doubts, fearing that Cain had left too soon and that both of them had taken things too fast and that they would have needed more time before it was appropriate to move together.

Many nights in which he had been physically able to sleep again, he hadn’t been able to find any rest because too many different things had been on his mind. The days passed in an instant though and when he was partly sure that he could head off into a new life in Old Creek. Cain had had suddenly stood in front of his door after they hadn’t seen each other for almost half an annual.

Simple as that they had had looked into each other's eyes and it hadn’t needed any words between the two because in those first couple of minutes without any verbal exchange they had felt the same deep love and passion which had been there before their separation and it helped Ambrose’s doubts to vanish completely. This night he had realized that Cain was as devoted to him as he was devoted to the man and he had been (and still was) faithful that neither too much time together nor too much time apart would have any influence on their relationship and that it needed more than this to wash away the fresh feelings of love.

It had been their first night in a shared bed and the first time that they got intimate with each other. The sensation of this was an experience that was impossible to compare with their magical kiss or the first time that he had been able to feel again but it caused an explosion of different emotions in Ambrose’s whole body, a beautiful feeling that he would never forget and that he would hold in his heart forever. The knowledge that more nights like this would follow and that his body enabled him to create such a connection with Cain still warmed his heart and gave him a tingly feeling when he thought of it.

Saying their goodbyes had been harder than expected. Although they had been prepared and beside the fact that Old Creek was only a crow’s call away it had developed into an emotional departure with many tears. During his time at the Palace and as his old self again he had spent a lot of time with his sisters and especially with both princesses. Many long and serious conversations had been necessary to convince Az that he had never blamed HER for the deeds of the witch and that he had never given up hope to save his niece…not even in the darkest hours. The conversations had helped them both and their relationship had started to heal, slowly but successfully. He and D.G. had had a bond ever since she had found him hanging in the cage of the Eastern Guild, but the additional time. and especially some lessons about the history of Oz and some politic basics, hsd shown them that they shared more than just one interest. Leaving like this at times when everyone was growing together as a family again wasn’t fair and hurtful but nobody could give them back the time they had lost and as much as Ambrose had wanted to stay with his family he had known that he wanted and needed Cain as well.

Their journey into a life together had been bumpy but Ambrose had insisted on taking one of the cars he had repaired during the time without Cain. And although he respected horses and didn’t doubt that they were efficient, he wanted to make sure that he could rely on the much faster engine since there could always be a sudden incident at the Palace that needed his presence. With a car he could be back within two days. They had arrived around the late afternoon on a cloudy but not rainy day. The black sky had blocked any chance for the sun to break through so it had been impossible for it to illuminate the beautiful house behind the garden wall but it could have rained, stormed or snowed and Ambrose would have still fallen in love with it immediately. The house wasn’t exaggeratedly big nor uncomfortably small. The walls and windowsills the same as the roof had looked solid, but they still had flair and didn’t look ungraceful. Someone had worked at the garden and cleaned the path that was leading to the front door. Ambrose had seen that the same person had had planned to plant more flowers next to the stone walk and he made sure to tell Cain that he was willing to help with the garden work. Inside their house there were three rooms on the ground floor while there were five more on the first floor. The ground floor had only consisted of a large kitchen and a larger living room plus another smaller room which could work as storage while there had been two bedrooms, a bath and two empty rooms on the first floor. The interior had been simple but looked comfortable and had invited the advisor to turn it into a home for both of them.

When Ambrose had asked Cain about the two empty rooms which were almost as large as their future bedroom Cain had told him that one of them would become his office while the other one was reserved for Ambrose who could turn it into a laboratory or whatever his heart desired. The inventors eyes had had sparkled at that announcement and his brain had started working on plans immediately.

Weeks after their first arrival they had turned the house into a home and with the end of autumn they had welcomed their first guests. Jeb and his girlfriend Scarlet, whom the young man had met at the Resistance.

Now as their work for the wedding was lying before him Ambrose not only had to think of the past but also of the future. Soon it would be official and he and Cain would lead a bounded life together. Much wouldn’t change at all but nevertheless it meant a lot to him. He took in a long breath at this thought, his lungs being filled with flower-scented air. They would have a good and calm life, the years of terror were over and their souls could finally be at peace.

He would have time for his inventions, while Cain could spend his time with working as he liked and protect his family. During their stays at the palace Ambrose could do the same with his. They would get away from the business of a public life, they would enjoy every second of the serenity in Old Creek and they would grow old together.

“Ambrose?” his train of thought was suddenly interrupted by Cain, which caused the brunette to turn his head lightly.

“Looks like a wave of memories washed over me for a second. What were you saying??” Ambrose replied raising his hand to brush away a lock of hair from his forehead. Cain smiled down at him and they looked into each other’s eyes as if they were reading their minds before Cain replied.

“I was saying that you also had help from a certain man to re-experience the joys of being a human and that I just want to enjoy this sunny day with my fiancé," Cain said with a smug look on his face making Ambrose smile. The advisor gave him another of those magnificent and attractive looks before he suddenly shifted as he seemed to have gotten an idea and the smile turned into a mischievous one .

“You’re right there is no rush”, the advisor countered now sitting on his knees in front of Cain.

“More than that, how could I say no to an offer from my very handsome soon to be husband?” he added now coming closer and grabbing Cain’s shirt carefully. The Tin Man started grinning in response and enjoyed the feeling of Ambrose warm breath on his skin.The mentioning of his human condition must have encouraged Ambrose and Cain couldn’t complain.

“There is nothing against some time just between the two of us." By now Ambrose was leaning in so closely that Cain could feel the movement of his lips next to his ear, the next second he could feel their softness as they caressed the tip of his left ear and he began to shiver lightly when Ambrose lips moved down to his cheek and then to his neck.

“I’m glad that you agree with me," Cain answered between pressed lips that locked the gasp that was trying to escape from the tension he was feeling due to Ambrose soft touches.

His shirt was opened up carefully by fast and skilled fingers and his body was gently pushed onto the blanket while Ambrose started to kiss his chest and make his way down to Cain’s belly button. Cain closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth outside and the hotness that was building up in his body which mixed up with the tingly feeling in his belly and the ticklish feeling on his skin where Ambrose had kissed him.

“How lucky we are that today is such a beautiful warm day outside," Ambrose purred as he was working at unbuttoning Cain’s trousers.

The Tin Man couldn’t let out a word so he just answered with a non vocal exclamation of approval while he raised his head in order to take a good look at the man who was trying to undress him and to get a grip of Ambrose shirt in the process.

When he opened his eyes and they were in focus again he allowed himself to soak in all of Ambrose indescribable beauty. Another smile crawled onto his face and he wanted to undress the man in front of him even sooner than before but when his look drifted off to the side, a spot somewhere behind Ambrose shoulder, he froze in his actions.

“Although the weather is very gracious today I’m afraid that our spontaneous plans have to wait, honey." His throat had gone dry in an instant and it was hard to speak when Ambrose was still touching him in sensitive places but he built up all his strength and suppressed his lust for a moment.

As Ambrose didn’t listen nor stopped to unbutton him he grabbed for the hands of his fiancé, which caused the man to look into his eyes with both disappointment and dissatisfaction written on them. Cain knew how Ambrose was feeling for he himself had liked the idea of entwining their bodies on the warm meadow but as long as they didn’t want to be watched they needed to stop now.

“We have guests, my love," Cain explained and Ambrose eyes went wide in understanding. Hastily he closed Cain’s trouser and shirt, before he arranged his own clothes and with a jumpy move he raised from Cain’s legs and turned around with a slightly colored face to see for himself who had interrupted their intimate moment.

In a shadowy spot next to the right side of their house stood a young woman with dark hair and shiny blue eyes. D.G.’s face had turned into an ashamed red color as well and she cleared her throat when Ambrose came walking to her. When he could see her from up close he noticed that she looked exhausted, nevertheless she greeted him with a strong hug.

“You’re here….You’re here rather early," his hands glided down her arms as he parted the embrace to talk about their trip and their sudden appearance.

“I noticed," D.G. answered boldly never intending to sound so flatly but the answer had left her mouth without control. Ambrose blushed at this and she apologized.

“Cain and I, we had decided to let go for a while," her uncle tried to save the moment and get out of the awkward situation but it seemed like he was making it worse, she could see on his face that he was desperately trying to get around the subject so she offered a new topic.

“Old Creek is looking really beautiful this year, for some reason it seems to blossom even more than the last time we came," she said instead of asking him why he and Cain weren’t afraid of intruders during their intimate ‘relaxation’ at the garden and she could see that Ambrose was grateful for that and visibly relaxed.

“It is. I must say that I haven’t only fallen in love with the man who originally came from this village but also with its people and beautiful landscape. It’s so calm and peaceful yet there is so much work, laughter and action every single day. It’s paradise," Ambrose replied with an expression of content on his face that she had never seen before. He really was happy and that caused her heart to swell in her chest.

The just stared at the garden for a while before this moment of peace was interrupted by a group of approaching family members. Soon Ambrose was busy with greeting all of his three sisters and their families but before they could attack him with questions they were also greeted by Cain who offered them to follow him to the guest houses where they could refresh and take a break from their journey first. Ambrose was glad that the bombarding would wait for a while and he thanked Cain with a heartfelt kiss when he returned.

“Looks like everything is going faster than I expected after all. They will take a rest and they will meet us at my mother’s garden in two hours. It is big enough for all of us and I think they want to hear what you have planned for the next few days," Cain announced when his lips had parted from Ambrose’s .

“More people means more hands that can help with the preparations. We will stick to your plan and take things easier now," Ambrose replied resting his head against Cain’s, the expression on his face unreadable, making it impossible for Cain to say if Ambrose was happy about his families surprising arrival or if he was dreading the next couple of hours.

“You know two hours is a long time and I think we weren’t quite finished with our ‘conversation’ from earlier. What do you think of going back to it while your family will refresh?” Cain therefore whispered, feeling that Ambrose body got tense in response.

The advisor raised his head and looked into Cain’s icy blue eyes before he smirked.

“This time I’m for leading this conversation in our cozy bed, INSIDE our bedroom and away from sneaky princesses," the man replied receiving a crystal clear laugh in response.

“I think I can live with that," Cain countered pulling Ambrose into the direction of their front door and encouraging his fiancé to follow him inside.

O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O..O.o

The last days before the wedding had magically passed in the blink of an eye. Now he was standing in front of a mirror wearing a cream colored shirt and loose pants of the same color while Lavender was attaching a red rose on his shirt. He and Cain had decided to wear loose and comfortable clothes and no suits since it was a simple and small wedding and both of them had learnt to dread the formal dress code. 

They were in Lavender’s bedroom in the guest house while Cain was preparing himself at their house. His other sisters were sitting on the double bed, both of them wearing light summer dresses. Thea had chosen a stylish hat in addition while Amelia had braided her now shoulder long brown hair.

Anxiety was written on Ambrose's face which didn’t stay unnoticed by his twin sister.

“He loves you deeply and this ceremony will only strengthen this love. I know that you two don’t need this wedding to be happy but you deserve to enjoy this special moment with Cain and among your family," Lavender encouraged him kindly while she straightened his shirt and brushed over the fabric for one last time. When she was finished she walked away so that Ambrose could observe himself.

“I agree with Lavender, nevertheless I can understand that you are nervous but look at you! He won’t be able to take his eyes off of you," Thea added enthusiastically as Ambrose had turned around so that they all got a good look at him.

The ceremony will be over sooner than you think and you will only have eyes for each other after all like Thea was trying to indicate. You shouldn’t be scared, Ozma is right you two deserve this day," Amelia joined her sisters.

More than the other two she could understand her brother’s concern. She had married her Felix in the summer that had followed their reunion and it still felt fresh to her to be married for a second time. She had been as nervous as Ambrose was looking right now. The advisor looked at each of his sisters for a moment before he gave a sign that he wanted to hug all of them.

“This day is for all of us, to relax, to celebrate and most importantly to have fun," he whispered while they shared their embrace and when they parted he smiled.

“Thank you for your help. You’re all right of course. Nevertheless, I can’t deny that all of this is a bit overwhelming for me. This is my first and hopefully only wedding after all," he added.

“Oh honey there is no need to worry. Cain is a gentleman and we will all be there for you. I understand why the thought of your wedding is giving you a funny feeling and you have every right to be nervous and excited but relax. You will do perfectly fine." Lavender patted his arm and looked him deeply into his brown eyes.

She could see so much in them and it felt as if a whole world was opening up to her, just by exchanging a glance with him. Her heart rose from the happiness that washed over her from this moment. Back when he had still been cursed she didn’t believe that she would ever be able to feel a moment like this again. To know that her brother was all right and about to marry the love of his life filled her with overwhelming joy.

“Do you want us to leave you alone for a moment?” she asked when she could see the anxiety in her brothers eyes and he nodded in response.

“We will be downstairs if you need anything. The ceremony starts in 20 minutes we will see you there," Amelia told him before she took him into her arms for a second time and placed a kiss on his cheek. Thea copied her and when Lavender had said her goodbyes as well the three sisters left the room to allow their brother some serenity before he would start his journey into a slightly altered, yet new life.

When they were gone he took a deep breath. He loved their caring and support, their wit and how they could spread a unique feeling of love and happiness wherever they were but they couldn’t know how he was feeling. They all had married annuals ago, before the witch, and they all had children. They all were married to the opposite gender and they couldn’t know that he was still asking himself how it was possible that Cain showered him with unconditional love and was now even willing to marry him. Doubts that he had forgotten about came back and he needed a moment to come to his senses again.

He knew that his fear was unnecessary, that his sisters were right and that he should concentrate on the joyful aspects of the event, but he couldn’t. For a moment he needed to allow this fear to dominate because he was a man of logic and reason who couldn’t help but think of any possibilities that life might have to offer.

It was his way of finding peace and of calming down. When he could face his greatest fears and overcome them, he knew that he was ready for every challenge or fight. 

Deep breaths encouraged the circulation of his blood which supplied his brain with enough energy and in those moments of clarity he found the peace he was looking for.

Moments later when he was sure that he could face the crowd and take the next step, he heard a light knock on the door followed by the soft voice of a woman.

“Is the groom ready for an inspection of his future mother in law?” he heard the careful question coming from Liz Cain who was standing in front of the door.

Almost without making a sound he walked to the door to answer it, Ambrose was secretly hoping that he wouldn’t shock Liz when he would suddenly open the door in silence. The elderly woman who was long since used to the man’s almost ghost like behavior welcomed him with a warm smile when the wood wasn’t parting them anymore. She was wearing a simply tailored dress and a hat like Thea but the spark in her eyes was outshining her outfit or her neatly styled hair underneath the hat and Ambrose couldn’t help himself but feel another lump in his throat.

“Sure, for a dashing mother in law like you I’m always ready," he said while smiling back at her softly and permitting her to walk in by a gesture of his hand.

Liz walked slower these days, mostly relying on a stick which helped her to deal with a damaged back and a stiff knee, but she was still the proud and destined woman which he had first met all these years ago. A woman who had been his teacher, his advisor and often enough a good friend.

With a wheezing sound she placed herself on a wooden chair that was standing in the corner of the room, which she saw as more reliable than the soft bed since she doubted that she would ever manage to get up again. With a pat on her right leg she gestured Ambrose to walk closer and so he grabbed a chair and placed himself next to the elderly woman.

“You definitely look nervous, Thea indicated something like that when I made my way upstairs but I simply couldn’t believe that Ambrose Gale would be nervous," she said with such conviction in her voice that it was hard for Ambrose to stifle a laugh.

“Is that so?” he snickered and watched how she snickered too.

“You refused to help the witch and you faced her even though you knew that there was no hope left, honey. Didn’t think that the wedding with my son would scare you that much," she now said a bit more serious but he knew that it wasn’t an accusation.

“Facing the witch was something that needed to be done, it was necessary. This here is completely different. It’s a matter of the heart and I’m afraid that I can’t rely on my heart anymore after I have spent so much time fighting for my brain," he answered with a sigh and stared into the emptiness of the room. Only the soft touch of Liz’s hand stopped him from drifting off into a world of doubts again.

“We all know that you are a smart man, Ambrose, but you never made a decision in which your heart wasn’t involved. Maybe you never noticed it yourself but you always knew how to use both your heart and brain. I can see the love between you and my son and it is a strong one," she said to him while her hand never left his arm.

“I loved Adora. She was a kind, logical and charming woman. She made Cain happy and she was a good wife to him. She gave me a grandson and she fought for her beliefs like we all did and like Cain I will always mourn her death. I’m not telling you this to make you feel bad but because I want you to know that you might not be Adora but that this isn’t necessary and that it’s nothing that Cain would want, nor anyone else of this family. You’re a smart guy and a loyal, kind and unique heart is beating in your chest. You are devoted, willing to work and willing to honor my son for as long as there is breath in your lungs and I’ve never been so proud of you as I am today. Adora will always have a place in my heart but you know that you already inhabited one a long time ago so now it is only a matter of making it official ....that you get a part of this family. It is the right decision. I can feel it," she added and touched her chest where her heart was when she finished the last sentence.

Ambrose could only stare at the face that showed so much kindness, understanding and love towards him. His mouth felt dry and he feared that he wouldn’t be able to swallow or speak. With those words Liz had told him that he was welcome, she had proved that his fear was unnecessary and foolish and she gave him something that he had missed half of his life : The feeling of having a mother.

With tears in his eyes that simply were too hard to hold back, he flung his arms around Liz’s precious shoulders and cried in silence while the woman patted his back.

“Thank you," he whispered close to her ear and although he couldn’t see it, Liz was crying as well and an expression of peace formed on her face when he thanked her.

After a moment he let go of his future mother in-law and wiped away the tears that were covering his cheeks.

“There, there you don’t want to look puffy on your wedding, do you?” Liz answered, helping Ambrose to clean his face from the remains of his emotional outbreak.

Her answer made him laugh again and relief spread in his chest.

“I’ll leave the ‘looking puffy’ part to you when you won’t be able to hide those tears any longer," Ambrose now teased her, indicating that he knew that she had been crying as well.

“Oh you rascal. It’s time that you get downstairs and marry my son!” Liz countered with a laugh and when Ambrose helped her with standing up and then lent her one arm she willingly took it.

Together they made their way downstairs where they would collect Ambrose’s family and then walk to the garden of his house where a wedding and an excited groom would wait for them.

O.O.O.o.o.Oo.O.O.O.O

He felt sick. It was his wedding, and not his first one to begin with, but Cain couldn’t deny that he felt sick. He thought that it was his responsibility to keep a clear mind and to stay relaxed and to be a support for a possibly nervous Ambrose. But was it fair to assume that his fiancé was feeling this way and was it fair towards himself to decide to stay strong? Fear wasn’t a weakness, it made people stronger by fighting it. It taught them to stay rational by overcoming the fear’s irrationality and it encouraged them to have faith in themselves. Oh no, even he was allowed to be nervous and afraid from time to time, however he had hoped that it wouldn’t happen on such a happy day in his life.

On his last wedding he had been visited by his older brother Robin who had taken away this fear and a letter from Ambrose had distracted his mind. Robin, who had killed himself after the days of the witch, was gone. Ambrose was more than a best friend by now and his future husband, so asking him was out of the question as well. He and his sister had a strong relationship but she was busy with keeping her children in check so the only option offering to him where D.G. and Azkadellia .

It wasn’t that he thought of the princesses as unreliable advisors or that he didn’t appreciate their offer to keep him some company until he was finished with dressing up, however he had hoped to talk to someone with a little bit more experience when it came to marriage, weddings and leading a relationship that lasted longer than a few months.

In the end when he had to decide between staying alone in his room and having the princesses to talk to he had chosen the latter after all, for he was hoping to find some relaxation through their presence or at least a distraction through their unstoppable talking.

He was attaching a rose to his loose black shirt when all three of them had to laugh about a story which D.G. was telling them. She and a suitor had gotten into a fight over a dance. While the princess had tried to explain that foxtrot wasn’t part of her dancing repertoire the young man had insisted on teaching her in the middle of the crowded dance floor. When D.G. had stepped on his feet for the fifth time he had left her in rage and after that none of them had heard from him for weeks.

“A month later he reappeared with broken pride and a sunken heart, exclaiming that he would marry the daughter of Lady Ashford, he said that I was a lovely being but that he couldn’t take up with my miserable dancing skills. I informed him that I would survive without him and his foxtrot and I believe that it made his pride crumble even more," D.G. snickered as she remembered the blank look on his face. Azadellia broke into another laughing fit, while Cain shook his head being unable to hide a smile.

They kept laughing about it for a while until Azadellia suddenly interrupted this merry moment when she noticed that Cain had stopped laughing all of a sudden. The man had been silent all day long and she had noticed it before at breakfast. Something was on his mind and he probably was too dignified to share his worries but from her own experiences she knew that it was wrong to hold them back.

“It is okay to be nervous you know?” she told Cain who was still observing himself in the mirror. When he heard that Az was addressing him he turned around though.

“Hmm?? I’m not nervous. Why should I be? Today is my wedding day. What makes you think so?” he answered, fixing his blue eyes completely on the eldest princess who answered his gaze with concern.

"Your hands are trembling and you've gotten more and more silent since the ceremony is getting closer," Azkadellia assured him.

He frowned at that, just realizing that his inner struggle had shown on the surface. He thought that he was able to control his body and remain neutral on the outside but when the princesses were able to tell that he was scared it probably was time to share his concerns.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of Mr. Cain, we all have to struggle with our nerves from time to time. What's important is that you don't keep it to yourself, especially when you noticed it yourself. We're here to give you some company, including 'pre-wedding doubts'," she added to her previous assurance and both princesses could observe how Cain was visibly relaxing.

"Maybe you are right and I'm worried after all," he agreed carefully, causing the younger of the two to get closer so that he was able to lower his voice and talk in a volume that was comfortable for him.

"Years ago I made a promise that I would cherish and love Adora until death do us part. I promised to care for her and to build a house for her. To protect her and to share the rest of my life with her. Death did part us in the end and I wasn't prepared for that. I should have protected her but I was locked away in a Tin Suit so she died from the hands of a monster. I also gave a promise to Ambrose, years back when we were kids and later young adults. I had promised him that I would protect him and his family and that no one would ever be harmed but when things got rough I ran. When the witch got stronger I ran to save my own family. Ambrose was left behind to face a destiny which would make him a broken man. Now I will make the same promises again, the same vows will leave my lips and I'm scared that I won't be able to keep them. I'm scared that I will lose him ...again. And that there won't be any chance to save him," he whispered suddenly feeling a relief that was hard to describe.

Azkadellia and D.G. didn't answer right away, either because they were choosing their words with precaution or because the same fears and regrets were crushing down on them just from the cruel force of Cain's words.

In the end it was the elder princess who found her voice.

"Two years passed since the end of the witch and I'm still damaged goods. We all are but for me it feels as if her presence never really left my body. It is hard ...to get rid of the demons from the past and it's an everyday struggle. In the first days and weeks after the eclipse I felt hollow. Like the witch had left nothing but a hole and that all her power had sucked away my soul. I felt trapped in my own body once again. Depression and frustration washed over and those negative thoughts felt much more pleasing and fulfilling in those times than any hope. I didn't believe that I would recover and so I allowed my body and soul to decay. If it hadn't been for my sister and mother I wouldn't have made it through those dark times. Their support helped me to see the light and to fight this darkness and with new strength I fought my sorrows, doubts and worries. I'm still fighting every day but whenever I see my family and the blooming country I'm reminded what it's worth fighting for. You will marry this wonderful man, who even without his memories gave you this feeling of hope. You both suffered through so much and you fought in a lots of hopeless battles but you emerged from it with strength and new hope. I don't think that you will be parted ever again because there is nothing that you two won't be able to overcome. Diseases and age might conquer you one day but you shouldn't forget that there are so many light and lovely years ahead of you. This marriage shouldn't remind you of the mistakes you did in the past but reward you for what you have sacrificed." Not for a second did she falter in keeping eye contact with Cain, not only exposing her greatest fears to the man for the first time but also being able to really look him in the eye.

D.G. looked at her in surprise at this announcement while Cain only stared at her. Maybe the first hadn't expected that her sister would reveal tidbits of their private conversation to everyone else than their mother but the reason for Cain's staring remained a mystery to her until the man suddenly came closer and hugged her.

"I can hope that you will find someone like Ambrose, someone who will take away your fear and someone who will spend many years of light with you as well for I couldn't wish any less for a strong woman like you. Thank you," he whispered into her ear, causing the elder princess to take in a deep breath. When they parted she answered him with a nod and a smile.

"I suppose it's time for a wedding then," Cain announced still being deeply touched by the words of Azkadellia and not so much scared anymore.

The princess was right and it was about time that he started to embrace the bright future which was waiting for him and to ban the shadows of the past. Things had changed and as time had passed they had changed as well. Each of them had faced different evils but in the end they had fought them together and developed by overcoming them . An unknown future lay ahead of them and frightened him but when he had learnt one thing from what the princess had been trying to tell him it was that he had needed a lifetime to accept that it was okay to be scared.

O.O.O.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Warm sun rays were dancing between the branches of the big oak tree at the end of their garden, while a soft breeze was playing with everyone's hair and hats. The leaves and grass were glistening in the light and the sound of harp music touched his ears when he stepped further.

Two rows of chairs were resting in front of the tree, just leaving enough space for a short improvised aisle which led to a little white table forming an altar. The chairs were filled with family members from both Ambrose's and his side, as well as some assorted friends from the Palace and Old Creek. There was no strict order and everyone was sitting where they wanted. Behind the 'altar' he could spot Raw who had agreed to wed them and in front of the table there was his future husband waiting for him in all his glory.

For a moment Cain had to catch his breath since Ambrose looked marvelous in his crème colored shirt and trouser. Once more Cain was glad that they had decided to go against the tradition and wear something loose and casual. His heart started to beat faster when he passed the rows of chairs but he tried to stay focused on his fiancé to calm down his nerves. Although he had only eyes for Ambrose in this moment, he noticed his sister's smile, his mother's struggle with her emotions and the nod of approval from his cousins.

None of them had insisted on being led to the altar so Cain reached it without the company of anyone. All that counted was that Ambrose took his hand when he had reached the end of the aisle and that everyone was giving them their blessing.

Like so many years back when he had married Adora, Cain felt as if he was in trance when Raw started with the ceremony. He was no priest and a man of few words but they couldn't have asked for a better man or a closer friend. Not a word was said about the past or the war, not a single line was wasted for things that couldn't be changed. Instead the viewer concentrated on describing his two friends and their unique love for each other. Cain's eyes never left Ambrose and it warmed his heart to see the man smiling and shining brighter than the sun when he looked back at him. When Raw finished his beautiful speech he offered them to exchange their vows, a part that didn't only seem to be most important to Cain.

"I guess I don't need to say that I will promise to love and cherish you for the rest of my life. I'll promise to accompany you through light days and lead you through the dark. I will love you in good days and bad. I will love you when I might forget you again, I will be at your side in sickness and health and I will dry your tears whenever you are sad. I will give you comfort and I will try to support you in every decision. I want to show you how much you mean to me and I want to become a part of your family although I've always considered myself a part of your life even before this marriage. I want to give you hope when everything seems hopeless and I want to take away this burden that you have been carrying far too long now. I will try to keep all of these promises and give back the love that you had to sacrifice so many times," Ambrose said with fire in his eyes as well as warmth and determination glowing in his voice.

Cain was touched by everything Ambrose had said and even more by what he hadn't said but what was shown through the man's expressions and the light glow which was illuminating from him. In a few simple words he had proven that it wasn't necessary to say much in such a situation and that both of them had made the right choice.

"I'm damaged goods and like a wise princess told me earlier we are all damaged goods. Years ago I have promised to love and protect someone who was very close and important to me. I couldn't keep my promise and this will haunt me forever but I have changed a lot over the years and despite all doubts I fell in love anew. This new love gave me the strength I need to give new promises. We both overcame great fears and times of misery so I doubt that you will need my protection but I will do everything I can to provide you a beautiful and peaceful life. You left your home and family behind and made mine your own one. You taught me what it means to stay true to oneself and with your friendship I never felt alone. You also taught me what it means to be afraid because it became my greatest fear to lose you but at the same time you taught we what is worth fighting for and that there is no reason to be afraid at all. I will promise to spend the rest of my life with returning everything that you have done for me even in times when you knew that I didn't return your love," Cain said with pure honesty lying in his voice, his hands shaking from the sheer force of emotions.

He could see that Ambrose was fighting tears once he had finished his vows but the smile on his face assured him that it were tears of joy. When Raw declared them husband and husband and allowed them to kiss Cain felt like the world would stop spinning and when Ambrose's mouth entwined with his lips he finally realized that he had found peace.

It was a long, affectionate and tender kiss and as magical as their very first one. Cain didn't care that everyone was watching them and Ambrose felt the same. None of them noticed that everyone had risen from their chairs and that their family members were now engulfing them with applause and cheers. As if they had planned it that way a couple of butterflies emerged from a nearby rose bush and it seemed as if the sun rays were shining brighter around them. The soft sound of harp music and violins was accompanying their kiss and the air smelled of flowers and sunlight.

O.o.O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.

Laughter filled the night and lamps created a soft glow around the garden. People were still celebrating the wedding and music could be heard in every corner. Some adults were dancing while the children were chasing each other and others were leading carefree conversations. Food and drinks were resting in one corner of the tent but most of it had been eaten a long time ago.

Neither Cain nor Ambrose could remember how many people had asked them for a dance when they had decided to catch a breath and walk through the garden. It was a warm night and the night sky was clear and filled with thousands of stars. They didn't need the light from the tent nor the music when they started dancing their first dance as a married couple underneath the stars.

It was their own music that encouraged their steps and the brightness of the moon that enlightened their faces. One hand was resting on the others back while the other two were joined in a soft grasp. Neither of them spoke instead they enjoyed the stillness of the night and the music in their heads.

Cain's blue eyes reflected the moonlight, while Cain thought that the light of the stars were shining in those of Ambrose. Their movement was slow but it felt as if their bodies were meant for this dance and for each other. They didn't need more than a look and they knew which step the other would take and it was needless to waste their breath for words.

Seeking comfort Ambrose suddenly laid his head on Cain's shoulder and so they kept swaying in this position.

All they needed in this moment was the feeling of warmth and of comfort, the light of the stars and the moon and the sound of each other's heartbeat.

It was the perfect closure for a perfect day and most importantly it was wholeheartedly

Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: All right this took longer than I expected and I'm very sorry for this. Only one more chapter left and everything will be over..after the last one I might only add some 'deleted scenes' chapters or something additional whenever something comes to mind. The last chapter will take a while and I do apologize for this as well. Please be patient with me. I hope this chapter wasn't too fluffy , full of knickknacks or unpleasant in any way ;) I hope you had fun reading it and if you have anything you want to say please leave a comment. Thanks for reading ;)   
> Oh and I noticed that I made a mistake concerning the distance between Old Creek and Central City and I will change this mistake in Chapter 1 as soon as possible.


	26. Wonders of Life

Chapter 5: Wonders of Life

It was the sound of little feet tapping over the wooden carpet of their bedroom which awoke him from slumber. He knew that they were trying to be as silent as possible in order to surprise him but he was too much of a skilled former Tin Man to ignore their sneakiness. It was early in the morning and he could tell that Ambrose was still sleeping. Today was a special day for the two children, who were now crawling into their bed, so it was no surprise that their excitement had kept them awake and far away from sleeping. Today was the day their grandpa had promised them to go camping and fishing in the nearby woods of Old Creek.

Shortly after the soft sound of their feet and the movement of the bed even Ambrose woke up with a light moan and sleepy eyes. When the two boys noticed that their grandparents were awake they changed plans and went on full attack instead of remaining in the shadows of the bed linen. Sooner than they could rise into an upright position both Ambrose and Cain were pushed back down into their pillows by a screaming Brian and a giggling Michael.

"Surrender! I surrender!" Ambrose capitulated now being fully awake while Cain hid behind a pillow to back away from a soft attack of Brian.

"Boys, boys calm down your grandpa and I aren't so fast anymore," Cain tried to stop his two grandsons who were now trying to tickle him and Ambrose.

"But Grampa, you promised to get up early so that we can go camping and now you're still in bed!" Michael, the elder of the two, protested.

"YES! What if all fish will be gone when we don't arrive in time?" Brian asked in addition causing both Cain and Ambrose to smile. The childish naivety of Brian's question not only warmed their hearts but also refreshed their souls and spirits.

"I'm sure that the fish will wait for us, besides I've heard that there are plenty of them in the little lake I have in mind," this answer of Cain caused his grandsons to pout in the hope that they could still plead for a quicker departure and it worked. It was hard for Cain to resist those two lovely faces with the big sparkling eyes in which he could see himself when he was younger. He never could resist their charms, he always lost.

"Since we're already awake now, we can also leave earlier for the camp," Cain sighed in designation causing Ambrose to shake his head and laugh.

"I'll prepare the sandwiches then," the brunette who had gone grey by now countered while he climbed out of bed and into his slippers.

"Okay you two follow your step-grandpa into the kitchen, I will join you any minute," Cain ordered and the two little boys followed without another sign of protest.

Watching his grandsons and his husband leave hand in hand, Cain had to sigh and for a moment he allowed himself to be reminded of the day that Jeb had told him about his wife's first pregnancy.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.o.O.O.

It had been the day of Cain's birthday, a date he had been afraid of for quite a while. He didn't mind to turn 55 since he had never cared about his age. His body had a different opinion though and for the first time Cain felt that he was getting old.

It was a sunny yet cold evening in February and their little house was lying in darkness. Since it was winter and the roads to Old Creek were covered in snow, making it impossible to reach the village, Cain had decided to not celebrate his birthday this time. Originally he and Ambrose had wanted to visit the family in Central and celebrate with the Royal family but neither their car nor a carriage were able to conquer the high amount of snow outside. Instead they would celebrate with the Royal family in summer while this evening was reserved to Ambrose, Jeb and his wife Scarlet.

While Cain was in the kitchen to prepare dinner, he could hear laughter coming from his son and his wife who were laughing about a joke from Ambrose. Once again Cain felt a warmth in his heart and he had to admit that his husband was the perfect host. Although it was Cain's birthday he had insisted of being the cook for the evening while his husband was ordered to be the host and keep their guests happy. Since their marriage they were holding onto those roles. While Ambrose used his charm and wit to greet people and entertain them, Cain had improved his cooking skills and developed into an acceptable cook.

Only half an hour later and Cain could serve the first course, a vegetable soup similar to mug lug which Cain had perfected by making it more creamy and adding a little bit of spice. Placing the last bowl in front of his spot he finally joined his guests at the table.

Ambrose raised his glass for a toast causing everyone else to do the same.

"To a cozy evening and yet another year with my wonderful husband. Happy Birthday, sweetheart," he announced and ended with a kiss onto Cain's lips. The others cheered at that and shared their congratulations before almost all took a sip of the wine that Cain had chosen to accompany the soup.

"I thank you all for coming and like my husband I hope that this will be a nice and cozy evening. I hope you will like the soup and thank you for the gifts and congratulations," Cain answered while putting down his glass of wine and grabbing a spoon.

The first course was welcomed with a synchronized 'Mmmh," so was the second course which offered a collection of meat with fresh bread and salad. When Cain served the last course, a dessert that combined apples and chocolate, Ambrose had started to talk about Jeb's and Scarlet's wedding.

Eight moon cycles ago the young couple had sealed their love by entering the bound of marriage. In comparison to their own wedding it had been a big event, since both Jeb and Scarlet had invited all former resistant fighters they knew, plus their families. It had been a cheerful and touching day for all of them and Ambrose recalled it with a fiery sparkle in his eyes.

Both Jeb and Scarlet listened to his rambling and shared a loving glance whenever he spoke about the ceremony. When Cain was sitting at the table again, he observed how Jeb was absentmindedly patting Scarlet's tummy at the stories of Ambrose. It also didn't stay unnoticed to him when both youngsters exchanged a knowing look as Ambrose mentioned Azkadellia's pregnancy. He couldn't help himself but get suspicious at that and although he didn't mean to destroy this calm atmosphere by guiding the subject into another direction, he needed to know.

"I don't mean to interrupt you honey, but is there something you want to tell us?" Cain therefore asked curiously.

None of them had expected a question like that so it was no surprise that Ambrose looked at him with confusion on his face while Scarlet's face was exposing utter shock. Jeb on the other hand burst into unexpected laughter which raised even more confusion.

Everyone kept staring at each other like this until Jeb had caught his breath and was ready to hopefully clear the confusion. With a soft glance to his wife he tried to make sure that she knew what he was going to do and as if there was a mental connection between the two, her features softened and she nodded understandingly.

"I should have known that it's hard to fool you, dad," Jeb admitted amusingly, a tear that had remained from his laughing fit, glistening in one corner of his eye.

"It wasn't our intention to keep this a secret from you, but we had planned to surprise you with it later this evening. Since your deduction skills as a former Tin Man haven't ebbed away you leave us no choice though," he added to this and with a move of his hand he offered his wife to make the next move.

Ambrose still looked more than confused, his gaze nervously changing between Jeb, Scarlet and Cain as if he was trying to read their minds. Cain, on the other hand, was surprised by his sons reaction and excited about the news that both his children wanted to share.

Scarlet raised from her chair at the offer of her husband and presented her tummy to everyone. At this both she and Jeb exchanged an excited look and a smile before they simultaneously exclaimed: "We're pregnant!".

Cain who now had an answer to his suspicion, jumped from his chair and sent the furniture to the floor in the process. With caution he hugged his daughter in law, covering the tears of joy on his face behind one of his hands. It looked touching how he was standing there in his silent embrace and Jeb couldn't help himself but join his wife and father. When Cain loosened the grip on Scarlet he gave his son a proud pat on the shoulder, not being too shy to hide his tears any longer.

Ambrose, who didn't had a clue, was watching the scene in front of him with a melting heart. It took him a while to realize what Jeb and Scarlet just had announced but when the emotions washed over him he also jumped from his chair and congratulated the soon to be parents.

"I'm so proud and happy, my son! And I will be a proud and happy grandfather!" Cain exclaimed when he had found his voice again. "This surely is one of the greatest birthday gifts I've ever received," he added.

O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O

Later that evening Scarlet and Jeb were bombarded with questions from the future grandparents who still couldn't believe that their first grandchild was on the way.

The little Cain child was supposed to be born in early fall but since Scarlet was only in week six of her pregnancy they didn't know the gender yet. Ambrose exclaimed how amazed he was that Cain had been able to spot the pregnancy since he remembered how clueless Cain had been when Adora was pregnant with Jeb. For a moment this caused a silence between the hosts and their guests for they all realized that one person would never meet her grandchild. The sadness didn't last long but it would always return at occasion's like this. Ambrose didn't scold himself for mentioning this subject for he had learnt that Cain preferred to openly talk about Adora and he knew that it warmed Cain's heart when Ambrose told him stories about his experiences with Adora Cain. Long ago he had told him about the secret night at the Ball where Ambrose had confessed his love for Cain and Adora her pregnancy.

At Ambrose's question about Cain's suspicion the former Tin Man had to laugh at his husband's curiosity. He explained to him that he hadn't been sure but that Jeb's absentminded touches , the knowing exchanges of looks and Scarlet's refusal of their best wine had caused him to believe that something was going on.

This answer had caused everyone to burst out laughing yet again turning the rest of the evening into an unforgettable event of joy.

O.O.O.O.O.OO.O.O

Cain couldn't sleep that night and he was secretly grateful that it didn't stay unnoticed by Ambrose. Too many thoughts were rushing through his mind, thoughts that hadn't occurred to him earlier and thoughts that now kept him awake.

A long time had passed since Adora had announced her own pregnancy, since he had first met her, since he had been a child himself, but it wasn't his age or the fact that he was getting older which was causing these thoughts.

"Are you worried about the future of your grandchild?" he could hear Ambrose ask next to him. They were both lying on their backs, their hands folded in front of them but Cain could hear how his husband turned around to him at that question.

It was useless to pretend that he was sleeping, so he turned on the light on his nightstand instead and turned around as well. Brown eyes were looking back at him with a soft glance.

"It will never stop hunting me, although I know that she is gone and that the witch has been defeated," Cain admitted sadly.

"And I wish that she was still here even if that meant that we wouldn't be lying in this bed together," Ambrose answered hoping that Cain wouldn't be hurt by his selfless words. He himself didn't want to fight the feelings that Cain had for his dead wife and so he had learnt to not feel hurt a long time ago. It was part of their relationship and Cain loved him for it.

Cain wished that Ambrose hadn't said this though since he would never want to change something about their life.

"I love YOU and I chose to marry you because of this love and because I made my peace with the past. I wish that I could stop my fear of the future but now that our family will get a new member this fear has become present again. This doesn't mean that it won't go away though," Cain said and carefully kissed Ambrose's forehead.

"One of the princesses will become a good and thoughtful leader like their mother and so will one of their children some day. You will be a kind and protective grandfather and your grandchildren will love you," Ambrose whispered before he kissed Cain on his lips in return.

They remained with kissing and cuddling for a while longer, increasing the warmth of their bed and enjoying the closeness of their bodies .

"GrandCHILDREN?!" Cain then asked as he parted from yet another passionate kiss.

"Well yes, or did you think that your son and Scarlet will stop after one child?" Ambrose replied teasingly, a broad grin now forming on his face.

"Honestly? Yes I thought they would stop after one child...I mean Adora and I only got Jeb too," Cain said with a mixture of confusion and fake desperation in his voice.

"We'll see about that, grandpa," Ambrose countered mockingly, receiving a soft blow to his head in return, which only caused him to laugh though.

"I wouldn't be so nasty, Mr. Step-Grandpa!" Cain returned now getting a pout from Ambrose.

"At least I'm the most good looking step grandpa they'll have!" Ambrose then returned triumphantly and since he looked so determined and sexy in his exclamation Cain couldn't help himself but invite the future step grandpa to a play of hide and seek underneath their blanket.

And while the wind was blowing coldly outside and the snow was pilling on their roof the two of them entwined their hot bodies and turned the night into a burning fire of love.

O.O.o.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.

Excited almost high pitched voices greeted him when he stepped down into the kitchen, back in the present day. Brian was sitting at the kitchen table and playing with a familiar wooden horse, his naked feet not touching the ground, while Michael helped Ambrose prepare their sandwiches. Michael had to stand on a little stool to reach the kitchenette but Cain could tell that he had insisted on helping his grandpa. Michael was almost 'a big boy' as he himself insisted and he had a great sense for responsibility and caring. It filled Cain with joy to see his two grandsons so gleeful and full of life and he was proud that their parents had taught them to be such great children.

He himself had developed into a passionate grandpa over the years and he did not only praised himself for this.

Ambrose had been a great help and a wonderful step grandpa right from the start. Michael had been a small baby, who had arrived too early and who needed extra care and protection. Scarlet went ill after giving birth and Jeb had needed to take care of his wife while Cain and Ambrose had supported them during this time by helping to take care of little Michael. It had not only connected them with their firstborn grandchild but it had also strengthened their relationship.

Even nowadays it amazed Cain how dirty diapers and lack of sleep at night had strengthened their relationship but maybe it was the feeling of parenthood (in their case more of a grandparenthood) that had filled something that their love hadn't been able to fill out before.

Brian's birth that followed two annuals later luckily had been less stressful for Scarlet, who decided that their second child should be the last. Brian was much healthier from the start but also more active and loud. The two grandparents kept the caring to their children this time but whenever their two grandchildren stayed at their house, may it be because their parents needed a break or because Cain and Ambrose were longing to see them, their house was filled with new life .

When both boys were old enough Ambrose had started to build them wonderful and unique toys, while Cain carved them the same white toy horse he had long ago carved for his son. Michael bloomed whenever his grandparents bought him a new book, which deepened his bond with Ambrose, while Brian was more like his father and grandfather and loved to go out and play that he was a Tin Man, chasing criminals and saving his damsel in distress.

Both were intelligent boys with lively spirits and both Cain and Ambrose loved their time with them.

When Ambrose noticed that Cain had entered the kitchen he turned around to give his husband a smile which was paid with a kiss by Cain. Neither Michael nor Brian ever asked why Ambrose and Cain were two men living together while other couples around them tend to be a man and a woman. They had grown up like this and it was normal to them, yet Cain prepared himself for the day that one of them started to ask questions.

"Guess who helped me prepare breakfast and your lunch today?" Ambrose addressed Cain with an overly proud voice.

Cain entered the game effortlessly by putting on a thoughtful face and looking back between Brian and Michael who were now both sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hmm ...I would assume that you got help from our big boy Michael over there but I'm sure that Brian will protest at this," Cain answered his voice guided at Ambrose who snickered lightly.

"Oh I'm sure that Brian won't be pleased if you ignore the fact that he helped his brother to wash the tomatoes and lettuce," Ambrose replied kindly causing Brian's face to light up.

Cain smiled at that and showed his joy over the help of his 'hard working' grandsons by approaching them and giving them a heartfelt hug. Michael, who willingly shared his triumph with Brian, protested at first, since big boys didn't need hugs anymore but deep down he was happy that his grandpa was proud of them.

"Looks like you two are ready for our big camping trip then!" Cain exclaimed and the two boys cheered in a chorus.

"We will have breakfast first though! Campers need extra strength for the long days in the woods," Ambrose added and both boys sat down again.

Watching his grandchildren and Ambrose sitting there and having breakfast together Cain had to admit that this was the peaceful life he had always dreamt of. A thought which often enough had kept him alive in times of darkness and annuals in the Tin Suit.

O.O.O.O.O:o.O.O

Two annuals ago Azkadellia had D.G. take the crown of their mother and so the younger princess had taken her place as Queen Dorothy the Second. Ozma Lavender had wanted to spend the next years as consultant to her daughter and play a more indirect role in the politics of their land so that she could dedicate more time to her own grandchildren, to her husband and to the rest of her family.

D.G. had developed into a feisty and witty princess who long since had embraced her role as royalty and who had learnt a lot about the history and politics of the country. She wore her new crown and status with dignity and the people of Oz loved their new Queen.

About six annuals ago D.G. had married a man from Ix whom she had met at one of the Royal meetings she had been advised to attend. He was the son of a duke from Ix and with their marriage the relationship between the two countries had blossomed and grown. Andrew was an interesting man with a tragic past and a strong will which was loved by everyone of the Royal family. His spirit, wit and humor had conquered D.G.'s heart in an instant so it had been big news when Andrew finally proposed to her seven annuals back.

With his childhood being spent at the Royal Court of Ix he had been a charming suitor with great manners and a broad knowledge of politics which made him a beloved hosts at Royal balls and wonderful Prince Consort of Oz.

Only two annuals after their wedding, D.G. had announced her first pregnancy and now only four annuals after giving birth to a lovely daughter, the Queen was pregnant again.

Although Az didn't want to become Queen she had been able to make peace with her past and become an active part among the ranks of advisors and consultants of her sister. She was it who became Duchess of Gilikin and with her duties and attendances at Royal balls and meetings she strengthened her relationship to her country and its people. They trusted her again and so she found trust and hope in herself and with this came love.

His name was Lars and he had been a stable boy in the duties of her mother. First Azkadellia had been scared that her mother wouldn't accept Lars, that she wouldn't want a simple Stable boy to date her eldest daughter, but times had changed and so had the Queen. Like her mother had done annuals ago, she kept up the relationship between royalty and their servants and if one of them was in love with her daughter she wouldn't interfere.

So it came that Lars became an integrated member during balls and events of the Royal family and it didn't need long for everyone to fall in love with the down to earth man. He gave Azkadellia the serenity she needed and he strengthened the peace she had longed for.

Together they got three children, two boys and a sweet little girl and now that D.G. was reign in Central City, they were living at the Northern Palace while Ozma and Ahamo stayed at Finaqua.

Every now and then they would all come together, either at the Palace in Central or the one in Finaqua and together with the families of Amelia and Thea, of Ambrose and Cain and of Anne they would celebrate this peace and cherish their time as one big family.

0.O.O.O.O.O.

The boys were the first to be finished and as soon as they had brought their empty plates to the kitchen sink, they were ready and even more excited to go on their camping trip.

Cain who had assumed that they wouldn't be able to wait any longer, finished his last bun with cheese and raised from his chair before Michael or Brian could plead any further.

Ambrose looked up at him knowingly and also raised from his spot. Calmly he went into their storage room and returned with two bag packs, one in red, one in green. He gave one of them to each of the boys and announced that those bags were their surprise gifts and that they had to take extra care of them.

The eyes of the two little boys went wide and started to sparkle when they opened the bags and saw that they were filled with everything you needed for a camping trip. The gratefulness that was written on their childish faces was hard to describe and it warmed the hearts of both of the men.

They thanked their grandparents for this wonderful gifts and said their goodbyes to their grandpa Ambrose by throwing themselves around his neck. It was their way of giving hugs.

Ambrose laughed at that and promised that he would wait for his 'brave campers' with a huge bowl of mug lug, once they returned from their adventure.

Cain was bidden farewell with a long kiss and the whispered promise of something else.

"Take care of yourself and our boys out there Mr. Cain," Ambrose said to his husband when they parted the kiss.

"Promised, my love," Cain answered heartedly before he turned around to open the door of their house.

"Say goodbye to your grandpa Ambrose again," Cain instructed as his grandsons were already rushing outside into the direction of the garden wall.

"Goodbye Grampa Ambrose!" They waved back at the man who was left behind at the door frame.

As Cain left off to follow his grandsons, Ambrose kept staring at them with a smile before he returned to the warmth of their house to enjoy those three days of relaxing and serenity which he would have on his own.

Life had treated them unkindly at many points and it had been a long way to reach their happiness but he didn't regret any decision he had made during his long life.

Sixty annuals ago he had met a boy named Wyatt Cain Jr. and they had become the best of friends. Many annuals later this friendship had turned into love and then marriage. Although there had been darkness and although there was pain this friendship which had turned into something deeper, had formed an unbreakable bond of faith.

Now they were in their mid sixties and the fight was over, they could live in peace and they could strengthened new bounds.

A long story of adventure, love, hatred, friendship, loyalty and death was lying behind them and some day, it might be that their story was told to their grandchildren. All that Ambrose could hope for now though was that he and Cain would live long enough to experience many more of these unique and beautiful stories that only life could write.

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Hooray!! I'm finally finished! I'm sooo deeply sorry that the last one took me so long , although it's not much at all. I was busy with going to work and then I wasn't in the right mood and blah blah. Anyways now it's done! I want to thank everyone who read this story , I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Maybe I will add some little bonus chapters to it one day but right now this will be it. Thank you to everyone who accompanied me and thanks very much to my lovely beta reader. I will go over every single chapter now and take care of the logical mistakes and maybe I'll also find some other mistakes that need to be corrected so that everything will be perfect.   
> I hope you like the ending ! I'll go and eat some ice-cream now , love you and bye ^^


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